Yu-Gi-Oh in Manassas, VA: A Valentine Tale
by serena.jones.585
Summary: Manassas, VA is a suburb of Washington, DC - roughly 30mls SW. 2 US civil war battles were fought here, and nothing has happened since. Can Seto and the gang survive being snowed in without dying of boredom? Find out! Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do not intend to profit this work. I just wrote a fanfiction.
1. 1: Flight

Yu-Gi-Oh in Manassas, VA: A Valentine Tale

Author: Serena J

Rating: By chapter, between PG 13 and XXX

Genre(s): Challenge

Pairing(s): Standard Hikari/Yami (Seto/Jou, Yugi/Yami, Honda/Otogi, Marik/Malik, Ryou/Yami Bakura, Noa/Mokuba)

Spoilers: none

Beta: Mishiko Shinsei

Disclaimer: Just the words, not the folks. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do not intend to profit this work. I just wrote a fan fiction.

Summary: Manassas, VA is a suburb of Washington, DC - roughly 30 miles south west. Two battles of the US civil war were fought here, and nothing has happened since. Can Seto and the gang survive being snowed in without dying of boredom? Find out!

Formatting Key:

typed text on handheld device. visible on screen_

{..._streaming system data. not visible on screen_...}

Author's Note: This was written for a challenge to write a fanfiction set in your hometown. Everything about Manassas and Washington DC is - or, at least at the time this was written was - real. Names have been changed to protect the me from the people who might kill me if they knew I used them in a story.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"She's fired," Seto growled into the phone. "If I have to say it again, she will not be alone. Any simpleton knows that Americans write dates in reverse. And if she didn't know enough to verify the reservation before finalizing my itinerary, how can I possibly trust her with anything. And the fact that we are having this discussion draws me to wonder about your judgment." He paused. "I thought as much. Now, I trust all has been resolved with the hotel? Ah. Yes, of course not. This trip has been such a joy, I should have expected that. Very well; where are we staying?" He listened a moment. "So call the -" His expression showed both surprise and distaste as the person on the other end apparently spoke over him. "Calm down. You are being irrational. Simply find a hotel -" The strident tones of the other voice actually carried out of the cell phone. "ENOUGH!" Seto thundered. "This city is the capital of the free world, allegedly. Find me a bed for the night or find yourself another position!"

Seto flipped the phone shut and pocketed it. He sighed deeply before turning to face his traveling companions.

Originally this was planned as a trip to New York so that Seto and Mokuba could meet Jou's family. As nontraditional as their relationship was, Seto wasted no opportunity to honor what traditions they could. He had planned to honor this Valentine's Day by asking Jou's grandfather for Jou's hand in marriage.

Then Mokuba had complained that he would rather stay home than be a 'third wheel'. So Seto agreed to allow his brother to bring a friend. Mokuba choose Yugi. And since Mutuo and Honda were close friends of Jou's, an argument could be made that they should be present for the proposal.

But Mutuo brought Yami, and Honda brought Otogi and Ishtar. And lord knows how the rest of the merry men wound up tagging along.

"So, what up?" Jou asked. He had slumped into one of the first class lounge couches while Seto had made his calls.

"At the moment? Nothing." Seto sighed again and sat on the couch arm. "Kennedy is closed. Apparently, we were lucky to land here. Some weather system called a 'norr easter' is in South Carolina so all of the airports on the east coast are closing."

"I thought we were gonna stay overnight anyway."

"We were. But that assumed that we would arrive at 10am this morning and have the day to spend in Washington DC. It also assumed that my staff was competent."

Jou shrugged. "Mistakes happen. Was it really worth firing somebody? I mean, now? Jobs are kinda scarce."

"She's new. They gave her the simple task to make our travel arrangements. Somehow she failed to notice that our flight was for February 12th, and our room was for December 2nd."

"Huh?" Then Jou face-palmed. "12-2. Day-month, month-day! That could happen to anybody."

"It could. However, I expect that even you would have noticed that the travel and lodging were scheduled for ten months apart."

Jou smirked. "Yeah, OK. I mighta caught that one. Of course, I mighta let it go like that anyhow."

"Your sense of humor is the very reason I will never hire you again."

"I got other skills."

"None of which can be included on a CV or discussed in public places."

"We got uh..." Jou's voice trailed off as realization dawned. "We don't got a hotel room."

Seto sighed yet again. "No. We don't 'got' a hotel room. And apparently there are no rooms available in the city. Assuming we can manage to leave the airport." Seto glanced around. "Where are they? And Mokuba?"

"Mokie's on the game. Again. Marik and Kura are at the bar, Ryou's asleep. Yugi said something about local color and history - I don't know where he got off to." Jou gestured. "Yami's behind you."

"I've been watching the weather," The Egyptian mused as Seto turned. "Politics in my day were contentious, but my advisors never blamed each other for poor weather."

"Who did they blame?" Seto's voice held a note of sarcasm.

"The Gods, of course." Yami looked thoughtful for a moment. "Although I did have to sacrifice a priest and his slaves one year. He failed to perform the spring rituals and the rains did not come."

"You had a drought."

"The Gods were not appeased," Yami corrected. "The new priest performed the rites and the rains began before sun down." Yami shrugged dismissively. "The sacrifice was your suggestion."

"That, I'll buy," Jou chuckled.

"Pure fantasy. When do they say this snowfall will clear?"

"Well, there is a Senator who says that it's clear now and that Washington is too eager for a vacation day. On the other hand, someone named Noah believes they will set a three-day snowfall record."

"Have the Gods weighed in yet?" Jou asked with a faint smile.

Yami resisted a smile of his own. "I have yet to consult a priest." He turned to Seto. "So what do you believe?"

"NOAA is the source KaibaShipping uses for long term forecasts. If they recommend closing the city, then I am sure it is justified. A moment." Seto pulled out his buzzing phone, stepping away to have a bit of privacy. "Kaiba."

He listened to the frustrated voice making excuses. Through the huge lounge window, the sun was already setting, turning the clear sky deep purple and fire orange, and a fierce wind blew across the empty runway. The glassy shine of ice coated all the equipment he could see. "Stop!" He commanded. "What rooms have you found?" He listened. "You said that; what I asked you is 'what is' not 'what is not'." He listened for longer. "Wait! Look up the address for Sotheby's. I believe they have an office near there. How close is it?" He listened, started to speak, then stopped to listen more. "I see. They have two rooms there?" He looked thoughtful. "So that's really a room with extra space, isn't it? Still..."

He looked back at Jou. Most of the group had reassembled and were around Jou. They all seemed to be either watching the looming darkness outside or watching Seto. Mokuba was playing his KC handheld yet again.

In the grand scheme of things, the truth was that the ten men before him were the closest thing to friends and family that Seto had. Over the last few years, there had not been a moment of note in his life that did not involve at least two of them, and with rare exceptions, the more notable the event, the more of these clods were present.

Given that, it was neither inappropriate or inconceivable that for two nights in a snowed in city, that all eleven of them should squeeze themselves into one hotel suite. The room had a living room, bedroom and den. Rolling beds were available. They could have a sleepover.

Hardly.

Seto turned his attention back to the phone. "You said you found four rooms. Four beds? Across the street from each other? Fine; where are those in relation to the suite? That close?" Seto actually chuckled. "I understood you perfectly. Reserve the suite and the four beds in my name, but provide the hotels with all our names since we won't know who will be where until we arrive. I need two cars at this godforsaken airport now and a table for dinner. Some place unique to the city."

He hung up and turned to face the group.

"Gentlemen. I'm afraid that with the storm and some local events, there are precious few rooms available. I have a long-term solution in mind that I shall act on tomorrow. For tonight, I have located accommodations. I'm afraid, we will have to part company after dinner..."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	2. 2: Dinner

K5Rakitan: Yeah, there's something satisfying about Seto firing someone incompetent! Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"This is a bad idea." Malik stared out the van window at the traffic racing past them. Eastbound traffic was at a crawl due to an accident up ahead, but westbound cars were flying by. It was insane, of course. It was dark already and the highway shimmered with headlights bouncing off ice. There was evidence that the local authorities had salted and sanded, but that hadn't stopped the numerous fender-benders the group had witnessed. "We should just go straight to the hotel. Someone's going to die out here tonight."

"Oh lighten up!" Bakura groaned. He popped a dozing Marik in the back of the head. "Dude! Control your filly."

Marik flipped him the finger and continued to doze.

"Driver," Yugi leaned forward to look out the front window, "is traffic always this bad?"

"Well, not like this," she drawled. "I mean 66 is always bad, and drivers around here are usually not from around here, so you get a little precipitation, and these people lose their common sense, right?"

"Most people around here are not from around here?" Honda looked confused. "How does that work?"

"Well, I mean, DC's got the smallest native population in the country. So most people here moved here from someplace else - school, politics, lots of reasons to come here, but only a few like me an' my man. Born an' raised in the city. I grew up 9 blocks from the capitol building."

"Really? Wow! That must have been amazing!"

She shrugged. "Eh. Never really thought about it. I was a kid. Didn't really notice anything special - hang on, I'm gonna slip in here." The van moved almost sideways as the driver turned the wheel sharply and shifted lanes. The luggage in the back slid to bang against the van walls, and the non-seat belted passengers were hard pressed to keep from sliding as well. "Jackass. I mean, cautious, ok, but let's at least move forward! Yeah, so, I didn't think about it as a kid, but I did see some neat stuff. I've seen all the presidents up close. I've been in the capitol dome. I know about the naked statues at Union Station."

"She's crazy!" Malik murmured. "We're going to die."

"Naked as in sex or some art bullshit?" Marik asked.

"Art bullshit," the driver chuckled, "but they were a gift from Italy, so the Americans who opened the crate got all freaked out and treated them like it was sex."

"So what happened?" Yugi asked. "Did they send them back?"

"Nope - too expensive. They got stonemasons to cut off the arms and sent those back. The Italians made shields and the Americans put those up, but if you look at the statues sideways, you can see all of 'em are, well, anatomically correct."

"Any of 'em hung?" Bakura snorted.

"Not that I ever saw, but the Italians weren't big on 'big'."

"Yeah, like Yami," Marik snarked. "They like 'em little."

"Hey!" Yugi shouted while Bakura and Marik laughed.

"Idiots!" the driver growled. "All wheel go ain't the same as all wheel stop."

Out of the window, they could see the reason traffic was so snarled. Three lanes were closed, squeezing highway traffic down from five to two. In the closed lanes, mixed with emergency vehicles and flares were the remains of five cars, a bus, and an eighteen wheel truck.

"Can't play with ice around here," the driver said. "People forget, we're real humid and below sea level, but we get serious cold weather. You guys ever hear of 'black ice'? The roadway freezes, but you can't see it, because it's not actually wet. Tires hit it, and it might as well be glass. As many people freeze in the winter as die of heatstroke in the summer."

"So why the fuck would you live here?" Bakura muttered. Ryou smacked the back of his head.

"Ok! That's more like it!" The driver sounded satisfied as the van began picking up pace. "Ok, if nothing else goes wrong, we should be there in another forty minutes or so."

"Forty! Geez! We've been driving two hours already! We could have just driven to New York at this rate!" Bakura huffed. "Fuckin' Kaiba! Why did you drag me on this trip?"

"Because." Ryou peered into the rear-most seat and verified that Honda and Otogi were both sleeping soundly. "Because Hiroto wants to propose to Ryuji tomorrow."

"He couldn't ask him that bullshit back home?"

"SHHHH!"

"He could," Yami cut in. "But Jounouchi mentioned that his grandparents live near Central Park, and Honda wanted something romantic."

Marik snorted. "Oh, yeah, that'll make a difference!"

"Don't scoff!" Yugi scolded. "Otogi may act indifferent, but I think he loves Honda - just as Honda loves him."

"Probably," Malik sounded doubtful. "But I don't think either of them is ready for that."

"We should have ridden that!" Marik pointed out the window at a train that appeared and sped past. "What the hell?"

"Driver?" Yugi leaned forward again. "What was that?"

"Oh, Metro? The subway. Local transit system."

"Uh, 'sub' way?" Bakura rolled his eyes. "Can't even figure out what a tunnel is."

"Oh we have tunnels, too." The driver put in. "About half the system goes underground. Goes from here in Virginia, through DC, all the way out to Maryland." The driver hit the horn and held it for almost a minute. "What are you assholes doing? No braking on the highway!" She muttered to herself, then suddenly changed lanes. "I think it will be faster to cut through Georgetown. More scenic too. Do you gentlemen mind, or should I stay on the highway."

"Faster, please GOD!" Marik moaned.

"The car or your hand?" Bakura snickered.

"Fuck off," Marik replied.

"We defer to your knowledge, driver," Yami answered for the group.

"Right. Ok, so this is Rosslyn. There's not much here. But this is the Potomac River. See that, well, you can't see much tonight. How long you in town for?"

"Too long," Marik and Bakura both snarked.

"If the airport's open, we'll leave tomorrow," Yugi replied. "What's that? And that?"

The trip through the city was more interesting, if not faster than the highway. The driver wound through busy streets lined in some places by brick row houses, and in others by mid-sized office buildings.

"Man! Why is everything so short?" Marik commented. "We had bigger buildings than this when I was a kid!"

"They build 'em all for Yugi," Bakura shot.

"It is odd that there are no skyscrapers," Ryou observed.

"We have a building height restriction," The driver answered. "Nothing taller than the Monument. Although, it probably really got started because before fire departments were common, if a building caught on fire and fell across the street, it would set those buildings on fire too."

"Prudent," Yami agreed.

"Ok, we are almost there," the driver announced. "This is U Street. This used to be all Black clubs and restaurants, back in the 50's and 60's before integration."

"That doesn't seem to be a problem now." Yugi had simply moved to the front passenger seat at some point. "It looks like everyone in the world is here now!"

The driver pulled into an alley next to a long line of people. The building had a painting of two black men on the side. The front looked like an old style malt shop decorated in mustard yellow and ketchup red with blinding fluorescent lights. "Gentlemen, we are here."

"Here?" Yami sounded more than dubious.

"Ben's Chili Bowl."

Marik nearly fell out of the van, laughing. "Oh you have so got to be fucking kidding me!"

"Kaiba's gonna freak!" Bakura agreed. "Oh, I gotta see this. The whole freakin' trip is gonna be worth this!"

Yugi paused. "I didn't catch your name, driver."

"Oh. Serena."

He bowed, seated. "Thank you, Serena, for getting us here in one piece. You gave us a great tour!"

"My pleasure, sir. You enjoy your trip." She gestured to the back of the van. "Someone might want to wake your friends."

"Oh, right!"

By the time they were all awake and in line, a limo containing Seto, Jou and Mokuba arrived. Seto got out of the car and stared at the restaurant - ignoring the stares of the others in line and the uproarious laughter of Marik and Bakura.

"Oh, no way!" Jou gasped.

Suddenly he threw his arms around Seto, and kissed him soundly. He didn't hold his traditional Japanese lover for long, but they were in America and the moment was too sweet to pass up.

"I don't know how you knew I wanted to try this place, but man, you are too much!"

"You wanted to eat here?" Kaiba turned his shocked eyes to Jou.

"Are you kidding? It's supposed to be, like, the best chili dog ever! It's been on Food Channel and all of those. The President's been here!"

"The food must be better than it appears." Seto put his phone away. "I did say someplace uniquely local."

Despite the length of the line, it moved quickly. Inside the tiny restaurant, there were no seats available. At least not until one of the patrons recognized the top three duelist in the world and a group was willing to give up their booth for a set of autographs and a KaibaCorp gift card.

The table was made to seat six. Eight would have been tight. Eleven - and all their food - was a train wreck.

"You are gettin' so lucky tonight for this," Jou whispered in Seto's ear. "Thank you."

"I'd better," Seto mused to himself.

The only thing green on the menu was a salad that seemed to be made of hamburger 'fixen's'. The normally healthy diet Seto was able to keep Mokuba on was shattered - his brother's meal consisted of a cheeseburger loaded with all meat chili, a large order of fries, and a vat of sweet tea.

But it was good. Not something Seto planned to have often. Or again. But it was clear that the group was enjoying themselves. Even Mokuba had put the damn handheld away and was actually participating during dinner.

"Hey, Ryou, get back in line and get me another dog." Honda prodded. "You're on the end and I can't get out."

"Get one for me too," Marik added.

"Oh! If you're going up anyway, get me another pina colada shake," Ryuji added.

Ryou huff and stood. "Fine. Anything else?"

"Cheese fries," Jou put in. "These things are awesome."

"Could you get me -"

"Stop!" Ryou shook his head. "I shall never remember this all. Wait until I'm ordering, then I shall ask again."

"Kaiba-kun, this is great!" Yugi grinned as Ryou left the table. "Thanks for dinner. Why did you pick this place? It doesn't seem like you at all!"

"It is a uniquely local restaurant. And I have never been afraid to challenge the unique," Seto replied casually. "We should all be willing to try new things."

"I notice you have not tried the chili cheese tuna salad," Yami pointed out. "Shall I -"

"I've have tried enough for one day," Seto said quickly. "I think now, it is nearly time for all to retire for the day. Hopefully, tomorrow, we will be able to see a few sights."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	3. 3: Yugi

Talyak: Always good to hear from you! Take your time; I'll wait. Thanks for commenting.

K5Rakitan: Yeah, those boys are always fun. Thanks for commenting.

* * *

**Chapter 3 Yugi**

The phone rang at 5:00am.

"Moshe moshe." Yugi yawned as he answered.

"This is your wake up call," an automated voice told him. "Have a good day."

Wake up call? Yugi thought sleepily. Why would we wake up in the middle of the night? We didn't get to bed until almost midnight and it's…" his eyes focused somewhat on the bedside clock. 5:04am.

5:04am. It related to something, but what was not clear yet. After dinner, they had gotten another car - with a much less friendly driver - and got back on the insane traffic of I-66. An hour and a half later, they were delivered to two hotels - across the street from each other. One room in each, but both with two queen sized beds. Yugi, Yami, Marik and Malik had taken the Residence Inn, while Honda, Otogi, Ryou and Bakura went to the Comfort Suites.

They had all been dead tired, but someone from KaibaCorp had been waiting in the lobby and had gotten their luggage, handled check in, and virtually everything else.

But Yugi had asked one thing.

"Excuse me. If we wanted to go sightseeing in the morning, in Washington, how do we get there?"

"Well, the easiest way from here would be the commuter bus. Takes you right to the Pentagon. But it's early."

"How early?"

"Let's see. There's one at 5:37 and one at 6:47." The desk clerk seemed to be reading a schedule. "But I hear the 6:47 is always real crowded."

"Ok." Yugi nodded. "Can I get a wake up call for 5am?"

5:10am. Yugi's brain kicked on, and he jumped out of bed with a gasp.

"Get up! Guys! Get up!" He shook his roommates awake and turned on the lights. "Come on! We're gonna miss it!"

It took some rousing but the four men were up, dressed and shambling down to the hotel lobby by 5:30.

"Excuse me." Yugi seemed to wake up the desk clerk as well. "Where do we catch the commuter bus?"

"Oh. Out front, on the curb, to the left." He yawned. "'Cuse me. There's a sign. There's usually a line."

"Ok! Thanks! Come on, sleepy heads!"

Outside, it was frigid cold; colder than it had been the night before. The sky was overcast but the instead of the typical blackness of near-night, the clouds seemed tinted blood red.

Yami noticed a handful of flakes swirling past him in the wind. Not even flurries, not yet.

Then, they heard the sound of diesel brakes and coming around the corner was a bus with a digital sign reading 'Pentagon / State Dept'. There was no one at the stop.

"That's it!" Yugi yelled and began running. "Wait! Wait!"

"He wants to go to the fucking Pentagon now?" Marik yawned. "Yami, control your damn filly!"

"You can sleep on the bus," Malik sighed. "Come on."

The driver did stop, and the four piled on to discover the bus empty.

"Wow." Yugi looked stunned.

"We get mostly federal employees," The driver explained. "And OPM announced two hour delay this morning."

"What?"

"The government is opening late. Because of the weather. You guys have farecards?"

"Huh? Oh! No. How much is it?"

They worked out the fare, paid it, and took seats - Yami and Yugi up front next to the driver. Marik, however, grabbed Malik's arm and dragged him all the way to the last row.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	4. 4: Bakura

K5Rakitan: Manassas is very pretty in the snow!

* * *

**Chapter 4 Bakura**

Ryou looked out of the hotel window and sighed. It was lovely. Lovely-ish, at least.

There was a man-made lake behind their hotel, a flock of geese nesting on its bank. The sun had been up for almost an hour and the light flakes had been falling off and on for half that. The snow was just dusting the grass, not even sticking to the streets and sidewalks. It looked like a postcard.

"I think I should like a cup of Earl Grey to start my morning."

"People in hell want ice water," Bakura replied.

"Earl Grey and a scone," Ryou ignored his ill-tempered partner. "Shall we go to the lobby together?"

"Are you gonna be a bitch all day if I don't?"

Ryou sighed. "It is a perfectly civil request. Must you be so terribly vulgar?"

"So, yes, you are gonna be a bitch," Bakura sighed and climbed out of the bed. "Can't even get a morning blow." He glared at the sleeping Honda and Otogi in the next bed. "Assholes." He made his way to the bathroom and did the things he needed to do.

Returning to the main room, Bakura picked up his clothes from the day before and dressed.

"They delivered our luggage," Ryou reminded him.

"Whatever." Bakura zipped his fly. "You ready or what?"

"I'm ready." Ryou turned from the window and Bakura struggled not to react as the clear morning light performed magic on his lover's features.

Sometimes that happened. Ryou moved and the light caught his face in just the right way; Bakura would find his heart melting and his dick hardening at the sight. Ryou was gorgeous - absolutely stunning. His was a face to stop traffic and wilt girls. Women wanted him. Hell, men wanted him. Part of why Bakura was usually so grouchy was his overriding fear that one day Ryou would wake up, take a good look in the mirror, and realize that he way too good for a low-life like Bakura.

Bakura let Ryou glide past him and followed him out the room door. He glared at the business man who stepped into the hall and stared at Ryou going past. He growled slightly and the man suddenly remembered something inside the room.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that," Ryou said as he pushed the elevator button. "It gives people the wrong impression of you.

"Funny. I thought it gave people the exactly right impression of me."

"You are not an animal."

"Heh. That's not what you said before…."

"You know perfectly well what I mean." Ryou turned a lovely shade of pink and Bakura looked at the ceiling so that he wouldn't fawn. "It's simply rude."

"Whatever."

The elevator ride to the lobby was slow, but short. In the elevator bay, there was a sign indicating a morning buffet, free for guests.

"Excellent. We should take something back for Hiroto and Ryuji as well."

"Hey, they coulda gotta up. Fuck 'em."

Ryou ignored him.

The buffet was simple, but serviceable - if you liked American food. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, danishes. Enough to get most people started. "Not enough here to feed Honda, anyhow."

Even Ryou snickered at that, but then stopped abruptly. "Oh dear."

"What?"

"Oh, this shall never do."

"What?"

Ryou found the buffet attendant. "Pardon me, but do you have any tea?"

"Right next to the coffee, ma'am."

Ryou looked stunned - torn between correcting two mistakes. "That is not 'tea' and I am not a 'ma'am'."

"uh…." the attendant looked more than confused.

"Idiot," Bakura snapped at the employee. Still, he pulled Ryou toward the drink service. "What's the problem, babe? It's not the first time somebody called you a chick."

"That is - no, I'm annoyed by that, but that is not the problem." He pointed to the canister labeled 'Hot Tea'. "I am not drinking that."

"What?"

"There are few things for which I shall not stand. I attempt to be amiable and good-natured in all things. I do not make waves. I even go along with you when I know full well that it is bound to be trouble."

'Oh fer the love of Mike,' Bakura thought, 'he's on the rag!'

"But I do not think it is too much to ask that I start my day with a simple cup," Ryou huffed. "It is a little thing, but I absolutely insist."

"Ok, so have your damn tea."

"Out of that? Hardly! I do not even know what sort of leaves they use! Most likely those crumbs of black tea leaves that have all the flavor crushed out of them."

"Fine!" Bakura threw up his hands, deciding to give in early and avoid the day-long bitching the Ryou was more than capable of. "Hey, kid, is there some place around here like a Starbucks?"

"Like a what?"

"Starbucks. Coffee room."

"A what?" The attendant looked even more confused. "Stawabucah?"

"Fuckin' Americans," Bakura spat. "Come on." He grabbed Ryou's arm. "There's one every five feet in Tokyo. There's gotta be one around here somewhere."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	5. 5: Mokuba

Formatting Key:

_typed text on handheld device. visible on screen_

_{...streaming system data. not visible on screen...}_

* * *

**Chapter 5 Mokuba**

Mokuba woke and did what he always did.

_morning_ He typed into his handheld game.

The image of a sleeping boy yawned and stretched. _morning to you_ scrolled across the bottom of the screen. _how did you sleep_

_ok / you_

_i always sleep well_

_you dream about me_

_of course / did you dream about me_

_my sheets are wet to prove it_

_perv / my gift should catch you today_

_hopefully i'll get it / nii-sama's been bitchy since this trip started_

_he's had a lot going on / it's a really big storm_

_how do you know_

_i'm hooked into noaa _

_noa / should you be in there_

_i'm routed through kaibacorp / no one can see me_

Most people thought Mokuba was addicted to a typical dating sim game, and that was how it started. But it wasn't long before he figured out how to break the game's code. Then he combined it with a code string that was bound to set off his older brother if he ever discovered the truth.

Mokuba told people that he had changed the preset game's hair and eyes to resemble Noa as an homage. But really, he hadn't changed a thing. Noa had made the changes when his code blended with the game code.

And as the game had both wi-fi and cellular internet access, this wasn't a dating sim. Mokuba was dating a digital Noa.

_so what is this gift_

_you'll see / what is that code you build that's locked until 14-02_

_you'll see_

_meanie_

_hold on_

_bathroom_

_yeah / still can't type one handed on this thing_

_you'll have to learn_

_why_

_you'll see _

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	6. 6: Honda

**Chapter 6 Honda**

Honda woke to his favorite sight. Ryuji, nestled in his arms, sleeping peacefully. When they first began dating, Ryu-chan never slept. He always claimed that it was going to parties and doing drugs that kept him up all night, but it didn't take Honda long to discover that the partying was a way to escape the nightmares from an abusive father. Once, when he was too high, Ryuji confessed that he could only sleep when he either passed out from exhaustion or when he felt safe. It thrilled Honda to no end that Ryuji slept like a stone when they slept together.

Asleep, Ryu-chan looked innocent. Sweet. Almost like a child who needed affection and protection. Honda kissed his lover's forehead. A few months ago, even that would have woken the too light sleeper. But now, as Ryu-chan was learning to trust, he slept through the gentle touch without even shifting.

Right now, things were good. Honda was store manager of the third branch of Kami Games. Grandpa Motou was thinking about going corporate and had already asked if Honda wanted to buy shares. Yugi would, of course, be the largest shareholder. But Honda could buy up to 10% less than Yugi. He could be a real owner of the company, with a real say in how they run it and a real share of the comfortable profits. Otogi had plenty of money between Dungeon Dice and his share of Clown Products, but Otogi-sama was unstable and everything Ryu-chan got from his father came with a heavy price.

Honda wanted that price cut. He wanted Ryuji to feel safe not only when he slept, but when he was awake. He wanted Ryuji to know that if his father wouldn't be there to take care of him, that Honda would be. That Honda could be.

A stable provider. A protector. A Husband.

Not that Ryu-chan was a wife, not really. He had a few feminine traits, but he was definitely not effeminate. No one made that mistake twice.

But under his shallow, careless façade, Honda had discovered that Ryuji was sensitive, almost fragile, and sweet. And that being the party-loving bad boy was slowly killing the sweet, sensitive man inside him.

Honda had been honored that Ryuji shared that man, but now Honda wanted more. He didn't want part of that man, he wanted all of him. And to get him, Honda needed a job to support him, a home to house him...and the guts to ask him.

That was supposed to be today. Valentine's Day.

Jou said his family lived near Central Park. Since Honda often took Ryuji on long walks - Ryu-chan always complained, but he also would hold Honda's hand the whole time - Honda had the day planned. Go to the park, walk around for a while, wait until something makes him laugh, then while he's laughing drop to one knee and ask. If Ryuji's already laughing, Honda figured he'd feel less foolish.

But Honda hadn't even considered the weather. So being stuck without even a park...

Assuming there wasn't a park nearby. It was pitch black when they arrived; they could have passed a dozen parks without Honda seeing any of them. And if it was snowing, all the better. Ryu-chan was beautiful in the snow.

Ryu-chan was beautiful anywhere.

So, new plan. Find a local park, take a walk in the falling snow, find some view of something memorable, and drop down, in the snow, while Ryu-chan isn't looking. He might even be too surprised to laugh.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	7. 7: Marik

**Chapter 7 Marik**

The back row of the bus was dark. The driver had turned off the main lights and only a handful of the individual seat lights remained. It was dark, quiet. Even Yugi's squeaky voice hardly carried. It was almost private.

'And I didn't get my morning cream,' Marik thought wickedly.

He slipped into the seat, but shoved Malik back roughly. "Go find out how long we have."

"How long we have for...?" Malik's voice faltered as he took in the expression on Marik's face. "...oh." He turned and worked his way back down the aisle.

Marik chuckled. Malik always tried to look so innocent, but inside he was a sexual freak. 'Oh, please, don't!' he'd cry, but the boy's body was more honest than his morals. More than once, Marik was actually exhausted before Malik's cries were real tears.

The bus seats were narrow, but the armrest moved out of the way. Malik was going to have a tight squeeze to get on the floor, but Marik smiled. It would be a nice view for the hopefully short -

"An hour." Malik's voice interrupted Marik's thoughts. "This is an express route. That was the last pick up point. It won't stop again until we reach the Pentagon. He said with the weather, there shouldn't be much traffic, so we should be there in an hour."

An hour! Marik had been thinking a couple minutes - enough time to embarrass the boy, but not long enough to do anything. If they had an hour, they had time. Plenty of time.

"Cool." Marik pulled his zipper, revealing a mass of pubic hair. "Get down."

Malik looked toward the front of the bus then down at the floor. "Here? But we'll -"

"Down," Marik repeated firmly.

"There's no space." Malik's eyes pleaded and his voice dropped, which meant that his body was caving in. "Please don't…"

"Down."

Malik threw one last look towards the front of the bus, then dropped to his knees. He did struggle to wedge himself in floor space that was almost too close for Marik's knees to fit seated normally.

But he managed - where there's a will, there's a way. Marik didn't have to instruct Malik once he was in the more or less proper position. The boy unzipped Marik's jeans all the way and took a few minutes to pay homage to Marik's manly, fragrant thatch of hair. Then, Malik carefully released the main objective - eight inches of throat-choking, ass-splitting man-meat that Marik had every intention of putting to good use very, very soon.

The problem with the modern age, Marik mused as Malik slowly began licking and sucking the candy cane presented, was that no one knew how to do anything the right way. Especially when it came to sex. Technology and plumbing were considerable improvements over the old days in many ways, true. But modern men didn't know how to fuck. This wham-bam, in-out-done method of carnal knowledge left much to be desired.

In the old days, a man and his lover could spend hours riding wave after wave of passion. Savoring each other for more than a pathetic taste of essence.

But Marik knew. Marik could fuck for an hour and not break a sweat. And Malik was even better.

'Who knows, maybe we'll hit another traffic jam,' Marik smirked.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	8. 8: Seto

**Chapter 8 Seto**

It was war.

His bladder, almost screaming to be emptied, had joined forces with his stomach which was unsettled by the chili from dinner. Against them, however, stood Jou's sleeping weight and warmth pressing the length of Seto's body. Moving would end the perfect snuggle.

He loved snuggling. Before Jou, he'd thought that it was a holdover from childhood. Something for his brother that they both had outgrown. But Jou insisted on sleeping spooned together and Seto discovered quickly the joy and thrill of waking up with his lover curled around him.

But there were moments - like this one - where it was inconvenient. Seto knew once he got out of bed to relieve the necessary pressures, the spell would be broken. He would begin thinking about his plans for the day, and goals to accomplish, and once that thought process started, laying in bed gave him a headache. Unless, of course, he was actively involved in some physical exercise.

Seto smiled. Taking a lover had far more benefits than he anticipated. Among them was less time at the gym, and yet more time spent aerobically. Jou had exercised Seto's heart both literally and figuratively. Falling in love, contrary to Seto's previously held belief, had been an investment with unending gains and almost no losses. In a lifetime of high risks, and few - but admittedly large - returns, Jou had been more than unexpected. He had been a single penny wager that won multiple jackpots.

And now, with Duel Academy entering its third semester of increasing enrollment, KaibaLand parks opening in Europe and Australia, and Mokuba entering his second semester of college, Seto was finding himself with time to focus on his own life and needs. And having someone to share that life with was an unexpected and delightful surprise.

Only two problems remained.

The first and smaller was Mokuba's addiction to his handheld dating sim game. It wasn't that Seto objected to the sims in principle. In fact, he had investigated them for his own use prior to allowing Jou to share his life and his bed. A digital lover would have eliminated the problems of privacy and discretion. But Seto had found the programs too limited in personality and visual options. And he had been unwilling to invest any of his own time in designing a 'e-boy' that he realized he already knew in person. Mokuba had been willing to do a bit of programming and had designed most of the game he played.

Thankfully, the boy wasn't posting pictures of his electronic girlfriend online or anything that egregious. But occasionally - in private - he had referred to her as his 'study partner' and remarked on research that 'she' had done. If the game was becoming that much of a part of Mokuba's life, then it was time for him to put the game away and begin relating to real people.

The second and larger problem for Seto was Jou himself. Seto had no doubts about his own feelings - he was unreasonably in love. And he had no fundamental doubts regarding how Jou felt. However, Jou seemed unwilling to rely on Seto and that was unacceptable. Too often Jou had insisted on paying his own way for an event they were attending together. Or refused to participate in something Seto would have happily funded. Even this trip had to be a surprise - the group had been on the way to the airport when Motou let their destination slip. Otherwise, Jou would have insisted on paying his share.

Wealth or trust? Seto could not determine which was Jou's issue. Kaiba wealth was a fact of life that Jou would have to come to terms with. They were not poor and Seto refused to live as if they were. Surely it could not be impossible for Jou to give up living with the lowest and the least. But if wealth was not the issue, then it was apparently trust. Jou did not trust Seto. That, Seto did not know how to overcome.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	9. 9: Yami

**Chapter 9 Yami**

The highway was at a stand still. The traffic nightmare of the previous evening was a race track compared to the parking lot in front of them today.

"I will never complain about Tokyo traffic again!" Yugi laughed. "And you do this every day?"

"Yup!" The driver chuckled. "Twice in the morning, and once in the afternoon. This is the easy route, though. You should see 95! It's like this even when the weather is clear."

The snow was just beginning to fall, but there had already been several accidents on the icy roadway. The bus measured it's progress in inches.

Yami looked out of the window at yet another car whose wheels lost traction. It managed not to slide into the car beside it, but it seemed a near thing.

"...don't you think so, Yami-kun?"

Yugi's voice caught his attention. "I'm sorry, my love, I wasn't paying the slightest attention," Yami confessed. "What were you saying?"

"I was just telling the driver about Tokyo's system," Yugi replied. "Don't you think this is better than those insanely crowded trains?"

"Well, as I understand it, today isn't really a fair day to judge."

"True," Yugi laughed. "I don't know how hard it would have to snow for the government to shut down! Does that happen often?"

Yami let the conversation slip away again. Nothing outside was moving except the falling snow.

Occasionally the bus's radio would burst to life with static and a warbly voice announcing some new road closure or instruction for the driver. But mostly, the only sound was Yugi's voice.

Yami looked out of the window again. It seemed somewhat brighter. He glanced at his watch. Two hours had slipped by.

"Is that a baby?" Yugi asked.

His worried tone pulled Yami out of his thoughts and he moved to join Yugi and the driver staring out of the front window.

"Yeah, that car is stuck." The driver nodded. "Probably didn't want to risk crashing with her and the kid in the car."

"They must be freezing!" Yugi got up and zipped his coat. "They can wait with us, can't they? I mean..."

"Company policy says no, but I won't tell if you don't." He opened the door. "I've got a snow shovel too." The driver grabbed his coat and paused, looking at Yami. "I hate to ask, but can you listen out for the radio? I shouldn't even do this, but I don't feel right giving away company property."

"Of course." Yami nodded, happy to do almost anything. "It is the least I can do while you help."

"Thanks. OK, we're in park, so don't touch anything. The heat's already on. This handle operates the door. Anything else, just yell and I'll come running."

Yugi and a woman with a baby got on the bus just after the driver got off.

"Gracias, gracias!" She gasped as she nearly collapsed into a seat. She said more, but it was gibberish to Yami.

"Is the baby warm enough?" Yugi asked. "Uh, baby?" He rocked his arms as if cradling a child. "OK?"

"OK, si, gracias." Her English seemed limited. She said something else in Spanish.

They all sat in silence. Even the radio had nothing to say.

Time stretched and Yami began wishing he'd brought his deck. A duel would at least help pass the time.

And then the baby woke up.

The mewing was cute at first. And Yugi cooing over the infant was even cuter. But then it began crying and nothing the mother did would soothe the child.

Until she lifted her shirt.

Yami had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as Yugi turned bright red at the sight of a naked breast.

"I think I'll go check on the driver." Yami chuckled as Yugi's eyes went wide with panic. "Close the door behind me." Quickly, he pulled on his coat and slipped out into the cold.

Traffic ahead was beginning to move, but the cars directly in front of the bus were virtually buried. Two of the vehicles, however, had been freed and were slowly joining the rest of traffic.

One car had been moved to the shoulder of the road. The bus driver and two others stood near it.

"Rear wheel drive," the driver said, as if that explained the situation. "But if the truck behind us can fit the baby seat, he'll give them a ride. They're working on - oh, that's them."

Two men were rushing over, one giving a thumb's up. There was a rapid exchange of Spanish, then one of the men headed to the bus while another opened the car and began pulling out bags.

"I think we're done." The bus driver sounded satisfied.

"Yes, thank you," the man with the bags said. "When the engine started smoking, I didn't want my wife or my daughter in there, but out here wasn't so good either."

"Just glad we could help."

They all shook hands and went their separate ways.

On the bus, the woman and child were gone. Yugi opened the door and nearly pulled Yami in. "You look so cold, sweetheart! Come warm up."

The driver boarded as well. "Phew! It is cold! Worked up a sweat, though. But, it's all good - traffic's starting to move."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	10. 10: Ryou

**Chapter 10 Ryou**

It felt like ice. The air around them felt like moving ice blowing passed them.

'Why I let him drag me out here, I shall never know,' Ryou thought. 'We should have stopped for our coats, at the very least.'

He tried not to think about how cold his legs were. He tried not to think about how cold his feet were. His arms and hands were past numb, so cold they were almost warm again.

'And poor Bakura must be at least as cold,' Ryou thought.

Poor Bakura. Ryou always thought 'poor Bakura'. Always so afraid to say what he really felt, always hiding behind bravado and a false front of anger. Always going too far because he was so terrified of backing down. How could anyone ever be happy being so afraid of being real?

This time, "Poor Bakura" had gotten them in a bit of a fix. They had simply plunged out of the hotel and straight up the street. The wind had been much stronger than it seemed from their window. And the flakes, which had been falling so gently, seemed to be falling faster and thicker with every step they took.

"Keep up!" Bakura snapped, grabbing Ryou's arm and pulling him forward. "There's another plaza up ahead. We can probably get your stupid tea in there."

But Ryou could see the worry in poor Bakura's eyes. Visibility had vanished. As far as Ryou could tell, they had walked in a straight line, but when he looked back, he could not see the hotel.

There was a bit of sparse traffic that passed them occasionally as the street began to cover with snow. They seemed to be walking along a highway; no sidewalk, and the two plazas they had passed were large parking lots and closed stores. One plaza seemed as if it were going out of business altogether.

It surprised Ryou. Between London and Tokyo, he'd just assumed that most of America looked like those cities. Or like what little he'd seen of Los Angeles once. This place looked empty. Soulless. There weren't even any homes. Empty parking lots, empty stores, empty streets, but no apartments, no schools, no churches or temples.

He stopped and looked around. The snow was getting deeper and the visibility was getting even worse, but it seemed impossible that they should not have passed even one home.

"Where do they live?" he asked aloud.

"What?" Bakura glanced back at him, then turned around completely. "Who?"

"Americans? Where do they live? This is like some - some bizarre capitalist wasteland. Like…."

"Fuck!" Poor Bakura actually looked terrified. "You can't lose it on me, ok? I promise, I won't let you freeze to death." He looked around them in a panic. "Shit! Look, I saw a sign, ok? There's a coffee shop up ahead, and it's gotta be open by now, right? So just stay with me, ok, Ryou? You with me?"

"Poor Bakura," Ryou sighed. "You must be terribly cold. Take your sweater back."

"Idiot," Bakura snarled. "At least I had two layers. Keep it, let's just keep moving. It can't be far."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	11. 11: Noa

Formatting Key:

typed text on handheld device. visible on screen_

_{...streaming system data / not visible on screen...} _

_}}...data in_

_{{...data out_

* * *

**Chapter 11 Noah**

_i got rid of nii-sama for the day i think_

_}}...prince georges county closed. montgomery county closed. district of columbia closed. federal government closed…}}_

_{{...emergency delivery. pick up fedex 14th & new york ave. delivery embassy suites chevy chase…{{_

_so does that mean i will have you all day_

_}}...confirmed...}}_

_yeah / big bro took jou out shopping / he wants me to meet them for lunch but i should be able to get out of it_

_{{...eta...{{_

_}}...10:30a...}}_

_shopping / where / the city is shutting down already_

_i didn't ask / are you ok / you're response time is a bit slow today_

_}}...metro moving to holiday schedule / vre running on s schedule...}}_

_a lot of local data over the net right now / seto maybe back early / i am trying to get all his favorite stores open / cannot reach the manager at cartier / vuitton and gucci are waiting for him_

_how are you even doing that_

_text messages from kaibacorp home office_

_nii-sama's going to find you if you keep doing things like that_

_he thinks his secretary is very efficient / so when will you unlock my valentine gift_

_what makes you think that new program is a gift_

_you locked it_

_you can break any code I write noa_

_you wanted to surprise me / i wanted to let you / you are very sweet mokuba_

_you sound like a digital girl_

_careful / it's not too late for me to delay delivery of your gift_

_fine / you get yours when i get mine_

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	12. 12: Ryuji

**Chapter 12 Ryuji**

The whole world was white.

Winter Wonderland my ass. This was a fucking blizzard.

I am so fucking stupid! Why do I even talk to him? Let's move in together, let's have a picnic in the park, let's skip the club and go to Yugi's place, let's go to New York. He says 'jump' and like an idiot, I say 'oh yes, master, how high?'.

Come on, he says, the park is only twenty minutes away, he says. Fucking asshole making me walk in the fucking cold to a fucking battle-fucking-field! What the hell could be worth seeing on a god damned battle field? It's grass! Not even the smokable kind!

"You okay, Ryu-chan?"

I tried to look in the direction of his voice, but in the _forty_ minutes we'd been walking, the wind and snow had gotten steadily worse. Now, it was hard to see even a few inches in front of me, and the blowing flakes of doom were sticking even to my eye lashes.

"...college...that way...ok?" He gestured in the direction we'd been moving. There was a sign in English with an arrow pointing toward a grove of trees. If we were on a college campus, I couldn't tell.

I shrugged, and it must have been enough, because Mr. Let's-go-play-in-the-snow nodded and began moving forward again.

Where the fuck are we going?

We'd past everything approaching civilization - a gas station, a car dealership, and the highway. The only moving vehicle to pass us was a police car with it's siren blaring. Then we passed a few low buildings with no signs so I have no idea what the hell they were. Not that it mattered. Everything was closed.

Too fucking cold to be out here! Fucking idiot! I always just follow him, like some lame retard. God! I used to be the one everyone followed - I still would be if I got rid of snowboy! Just dump him, pick a club, and spend the night fucking someone hot. Instead of bottoming. He's not even all that hot! Well, he's cute in a he-man sort of way. But I can do better. Way better.

Someone hot. Someone who won't make me walk through a fucking blizzard in the woods….

I stopped.

We _were_ in the woods. Thick, snow-covered trees lined both sides of the street. It slowed down the snowfall, but it acted as a wind tunnel. I probably would have been blown off my feet, if they hadn't been knee-deep in snow already.

Still, what the fuck kind of city planning goes from gas stations and hotels, to highway, to empty grass fields, to fucking forests - all in walking distance? When I get my ass back to Tokyo, even Godzilla won't get me to leave it again!

"HEY!"

I turned back toward my idiot. He was struggling pretty hard with the wind and the deep snow, but he was gesturing again.

OMG, we found civilization again.

A traffic light.

Ahead of us, I could now see that the trees ended as abruptly as they started. The snow was still falling way too heavily, but I could just make out the red turning to green.

Finally! I am so fucking cold, even the stop light looks warm.

I can't even feel my feet any more! Oh he is so gonna get it for this! Come on, snow is pretty. Asshole! Making me freeze my ass off just because he has some god damned fetish about parks. Just cheap dates, really. Just a way he can get out of taking me on real dates to cool places.

We haven't been to a club in forever. I can't even remember the last time I got wasted! And for what? So that the 'boy scout' can freeze my ass off for free?

What was he planning to do - hold my hand and find all the dead people? Did he want to freeze together in some weird romeo-and-juliet-esque suicide? It was a fluke that there were a pair of gloves in the pockets of the coat I brought with me, but they seemed to attract the ice instead of repelling it, and my hands were basically numb. I swear, as soon as I can feel my hands again, I'm going to wring his damn neck!

O.

M.

G.

There was a stop light. It was at an intersection, but with the trees gone, I could see that it was the crossroads of nowhere and nothing! Just white. White ground, white sky. To judge by the tire treads in the snow, there hadn't been a car through the light since the Showa Era.

What the hell? Is that just to tease? Ah-ha, you thought there was something here, but fooled you!

And why the fuck is it still snowing?! Enough already! I can't even walk anymore.

Although I could move somewhat if I stayed in the path Hiroto was dredging. But it was still impossible. The wind was blowing from all directions at once, it seemed. My pants were frozen and caked with as much of the un-fun white stuff as everything else around us. I was surprised that I had walked as far as I had.

I'm not even cold anymore. I'm too tired to be cold. Snow should not be so thick that you can sit on it.

Mr. 'It will be fun' yelled out something again, but I am so over this. I waved him on. He can go see the battle zone or whatever. I've seen enough white shit. Unless he has a stash of coke somewhere, I don't want to see jack or shit that's white again as long as I live.

"Ryuji?" Hiroto was standing next to me. I have no idea how, since it was too cold to even think anymore. "Can you stand?"

It was too cold to cuss him out. "Just...just go on." My throat froze as the icy wind tore at my open mouth. "I'll wait here."

"Never," Hiro said. "Come on."

He put his arm around my waist and pulled. My whole body ached, but somehow we were moving. Parks suck.

"Okay, I promise. No more parks," Hiroto breathed in my ear. For a moment, my ear was warm under his breath, but then it went icy cold again.

He moved his arm and I was sitting. The stop light was behind us but for the life of me, I could not remember passing it. Then Honda was banging.

"Hello?" He banged some more. A door. A building, hidden in all the white.

"The white house, I guess." I laughed.

"Ryu-chan?" Hiroto stopped banging for a minute, then swore. He started kicking and shouldering, and actually broke the door in.

Which was pretty impressive. For a boy scout.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	13. 13: Malik

Warning: Lemon Chapter

* * *

**Chapter 13 Malik**

It wasn't that Malik didn't enjoy the sexual games. He did, greatly. Marik was a brilliant lover and knew how to balance force and foreplay with equal skill.

But it would be nice if he didn't do it in public. Or so often. Or so loudly.

"I know you wanna come, baby," Marik teased verbally, as his fingers taunted Malik's nipples. "Just say it."

They were leaning against the bus window, Malik more or less in Marik's lap. Malik's pants were pulled down to his knees; his shirt lifted up to his armpits. Marik's hands alternated between pulling and squeezing Malik's over-sensitive nipples and softly brushing Malik's throbbing cock through his underwear.

Malik could hardly speak, much less confess his need.

"You're like a girl, you know that?" Marik chuckled. "Girls come when you play with their tits. Just tell me you wanna shoot the wad, and I'll let you. You make me keep going, I'm gonna make you scream."

Malik gasped. Marik could make him scream. He'd done it before, teasing relentlessly until Malik literally had no control of his body. The ensuing orgasm had left him shaking and unable to move for half an hour.

"Please," Malik found his voice somewhere. "Please let me come."

"Hmmm. I don't know." Marik ran one finger across the wet spot on Malik's shorts. "Will it be a lot?"

"Yes!" Malik gasped. "Please. You can do anything you want to me."

"I wanna fuck you."

"Ra!" Malik moaned. "Yes!"

"I wanna sink my cock up that tight ass of yours," Marik growled. "You gonna come when I do it?"

"Yes! Yes, please fuck me."

"I don't know." Marik tormented Malik. "I kinda wanna see you come from just your tits. But I wanna fuck you too." Marik twisted Malik's nipples again. They were diamond hard and probably red from Marik's abuse, but even the faintest touch sent bolts of pleasure to Malik's cock as if the two buds were not only wired to transmit every sensation, but also to amplify it.

Malik writhed in mixed pain and ecstasy. "By Ra, let me come! I'm at my limit!"

"Yeah, I know, but if you blow it now, you might not blow it again when I fuck you, right?"

"Marik, Ra!" Malik could not understand how Marik's fingers could cause such massive waves of pleasure. "I will, I will! Please release me! Then fuck me, my beloved, fuck me!"

"Careful. Yugi might hear you." Marik nipped Malik's ear even as his fingertips began rubbing and tweaking Malik's buds in just the right way.

Marik's voice became a warm ocean wave that lulled and yet inflamed. Malik heard himself moan again, but it seemed distant. All he could feel was his lover's hands by turns squeezing and caressing, the constant delightful tingling moving down his body, and the pressure - the ache - in his balls.

And also, under him, throbbing against his ass, his lover's hard shaft waiting. Soon it would be throbbing inside himself. Yugi would certainly hear him then.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	14. 14: Jou

**Chapter 14 Jou**

"Gentlemen, I am so sorry you had to wait," The woman apologized as she unlocked the door to the Louis Vuitton store. "With this weather I'm afraid that I couldn't -"

Jou grabbed the door as a gust of wind threatened to slam it shut before the three of them could slip in. "With this weather, you shouldn't even be here. So thanks for that. We really appreciate it." He paused and looked at Seto. "Right?"

"Of course," the man replied. "We need a belt to match his shoes. Nonferrous buckle. Perhaps a bag as well."

"Of course, sir." The woman hustled into the back room.

"Wait." Jou stared at Seto, appalled. "You called the Vuitton home office so they could track down the store manager and have her come out in a damn blizzard so you could buy a belt for me?"

"Not just for you." Seto didn't look up from the goods before him. "I'm considering a few items for Mokuba as well."

"A belt I don't need."

Seto did look at him then.

"Okay," Jou conceded. "A belt I don't want."

"Fine. I'll buy it for myself and you can simply borrow it." Seto moved to a rack of shoes.

Before Jou could reply, the manager returned with a selection of belts. She must have taken a moment for herself as well; her coat was off, and her shoes were a pair of pretty heels instead of snow boots.

"I took the liberty of starting a pot of coffee," she announced. "Please allow me to take your coats. Normally, we have fresh baked goods but our supplier can't deliver in this storm. There is a grocery store nearby, if you need anything."

"Actually, yes -" Seto started.

"Actually, no!" Jou snapped. "You would really make her go back out there?" he hissed at his lover.

Seto glanced at the window and seemed to consider the insane weather outside. "It would take her some time, wouldn't it. I think the dark brown suits your complexion more than the tan. What do you think?"

"I think I could buy fifty belts at the Donki store back home for the price of that one."

"I thought you liked Louis Vuitton. You admired the school bag I got for Mokuba. If you would prefer Gucci, they are next door. We could compare their selection."

"And make someone else come out in the snow."

"It is what they do for customer service."

"Excuse me," the manager interrupted. "Please don't worry about me. I only live a few minutes away. It was really no trouble walking in from -"

"Walking?" Jou gaped at her. "You walked here?"

She smiled. "Not a lot of options when a guest like Mr. Kaiba calls. It's fine. And, if you are interested in the Gucci line, I happen to be friends with the assistant manager there; I have her home number. I'm sure I can reach her faster than their corporate office can."

"No!" Jou looked from one to the next, exasperated. Then he had to laugh.

So typical.

Seto was so blind for a guy who could see so much. Dropping a couple thousand yen on a belt. Why? To show off that he could? No. To buy Jou. To Jou, it seemed that Seto was so freaked out by Jou growing up poor that he wanted to make it all up to Jou now - like it was a hole and if Seto threw enough stuff in it, it would disappear. Jou keep trying to get him to stop, but Seto never listened.

And the poor manager just wanted a commission since she couldn't have a snow day.

"Okay!" Jou shook his head. "I'll buy a belt. Not a $600 belt, but a nice one, okay? But that's it. Let's get her a cab, and go back to the hotel. Deal?"

"There's no sense leaving now, since I will be making several purchases. I want to see these shoes in a size 10 in both the black and the tan."

"The 'noir' and the 'honey'. Certainly, sir." She hurried off to the back.

"Stop buying me stuff."

"I'm not. This is as much for me as you. People judge me by how they see you. It damages my reputation when you arrive in faded pants and rumpled shirts."

"So don't insist on me going to fancy places with you. Problem solved."

"Excuse me." The manager smiled sheepishly. "They were near the front. I, uh, oh! I might have a pair in the 'cognac' brown as well. It could take me a few minutes to find them, if you would like me to look."

Seto and Jou exchanged a dark look. "Yes. Please do. I will call you if we need something before you find them," Seto said after a moment.

She all but fled the sales floor.

"Seto," Jou sighed heavily. "You can't buy me. I don't want stuff - I never did. I want your time. Your attention." He leered. "Your body. But not your money. Your money pisses me off."

"You surely don't mean to imply that I should give up all my worldly possessions and live as a pauper."

"Ha! Fat chance of that!" Jou shrugged. "But there are worse ideas."

"No. There are not." Seto glared at him. "I am not so shallow that I believe people can be bought and sold like rice."

"Just that they can be controlled by buying them rice."

"I have never been able to control you - even when I wanted to." Seto suddenly turned thoughtful. "This is about that lease, isn't it? I truly am sorry about that. My assistant honestly didn't know the apartment was for you. I would never -"

"I know, Seto! You've told me like a million times. I believe you. It's kinda funny, now, actually."

"Well, then what? You say you have no issues with me, but every time I do something nice, you act like I'm insulting you!"

"I don't mean that!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"I just mean you don't have to buy me anything. I know you got money. You don't have to show me all the time."

"You think I flaunt my wealth?"

"Kinda, but-"

"MANAGER!"

"Seto -"

"Perfect timing, sir." She put on a smile as she stepped back into the main room. "I just found the pair I was looking for."

"Fine. I want the full set - the shoes, the belt, that wallet, and this bag in the noir, the honey, and the cognac." Seto opened his wallet, and handed her a black AmEx card. "I have an account with Vuitton. Ship everything to my home address. Special order anything you don't have in stock."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba, sir." The manager's fingers flew across the register.

"You're a douche, Kaiba."

"I just wanted to show you what flaunting wealth looks like. Manager, add a second set of everything one size smaller."

Her fingers paused and she eyed him hesitantly. "Sir?"

"For my brother."

"Ah. Yes, certainly. A second set." She went back to pressing buttons.

"Mokuba's feet are bigger than yours," Jou pointed out.

"Add a third set one size larger, Manager." Seto with apparent nonchalance. The Manager didn't even pause, just nodded and continued the transaction. "Anything we don't need, I'll give away."

"The total is $34,328," the manager interjected.

"THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND?!" Jou cried out. "For just that? Seto-"

"Thank you." Seto signed the receipt she handed him. "I would also like your name so that I may report the excellent service I received today."

"Oh! It's Jones, sir. Rena Jones. And thank you. I really haven't done much."

"You've done quite enough. I wonder if I could impose on you for one further thing. I noticed that Cartier Jewelers a few doors down. Could you call and see if they are open? I think I may need a new watch."

Jou rolled his eyes.

She hesitated. "Well I can look them up, of course. But if I may, two doors down in the other direction is Tiffany's. I do have their manager's contact information and I happen to know that they recently received a shipment of new men's watches. I was looking at one for my husband. And you, of course, could wait here if they aren't available immediately."

Seto gave Jou a look that was positively malicious. "What a delightful suggestion. Please. Call both. If I buy from Tiffany's, your husband may benefit as well."

Jou sat down on the edge of the window display. Leave it to Kaiba to miss the point entirely. All Jou had wanted was a quiet Valentine weekend - just the two of them. He had even booked a room at an onsen. Luckily, Anzu and Mai were free so he wouldn't lose the deposit. But, as much as Jou loved the gang, they were the last people he wanted to be with. The separate hotels was another lucky break.

But Seto's need to spend money on Jou was killing any romantic thoughts he had.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	15. 15: Yugi

**Chapter 15 Yugi**

The bus driver was originally from some place called South Carolina, but had moved up north after high school. He'd been a janitor and a gardener and drove a cab occasionally. He had a wife, an ex-wife, two sons and a daughter that he never saw because she lived somewhere called West Virginia. Which wasn't the same as western Virginia.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" the driver chuckled.

"I guess!" Yugi laughed. "But most people are so much more interesting than I am. I guess I just like making new friends. Right, Yami-kun?" Yami didn't answer; Yugi looked over to see his lover's lips moving and his hand gesturing. Not a good sign. "Yami!" He snapped, giving the man an abrupt shake. "Sweetheart? You still awake?"

The Egyptian sighed heavily, "Yes, love, everything hasn't melted in a flood of fire."

Yugi paused, then decided it was better not to ask what he meant. "I'm sorry, baby, am I talking too much again? If you want some quiet, Marik and Malik are still -"

"No, love, I'd rather be here with you." He snickered. "I wouldn't want to disturb their, ah, rest. What were you discussing?"

"Making friends."

"Ah! Yes." Yami looked past Yugi at the driver. "He is like this everywhere. Our plane was delayed in California yesterday, and by the time we took off, he'd made friends of almost half the passengers."

"The ones that didn't want to tape my mouth shut," Yugi added, with a laugh.

"But that's good!" The driver smiled. "You're good with people." The driver actually turned toward them - traffic wasn't moving anyway. "And, I guess, it's okay in Japan to be...how you are?" He suddenly turned back to the road. "I mean, you people are much more social, so that's a good thing."

Yugi frowned. "You don't like gay people. I'm sorry. I can be too open. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, no! I wasn't saying..."

"You would not have brought it up, if it were not an issue." Yami observed.

"It's not an issue," the driver looked extremely embarrassed. "I just don't know any, uh, guys who, uh, are..."

"Gay," Yugi finished for him. "You don't know any gay guys and you have questions that you can't ask anyone. Okay. Ask me; I don't mind."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	16. 16: Bakura

**Chapter 16 Bakura**

Sitar music - the most boring music on the planet in Bakura's opinion - oozed out as he opened the door of the only business that seemed open anywhere.

"Oh! Tank que far uare cosstam," said a heavily accented Indian woman behind the counter.

"What?" Bakura was far more interested in getting Ryou a seat away from the cold than he was in figuring out the locals' bad diction.

"I am fine, Bakura," Ryou sighed with a tired smile. "You must surely be just as cold and tired. Sit. We shall order in a moment, love," he told the woman. "It is quite the chill outside."

"Oh jess. Beddy coal."

Bakura glanced at the woman, then gave Ryou a confused look. "Are you gettin' any of that?"

"A scuse me?" She looked at Bakura with confusion. "Raji!" the woman suddenly yelled.

"Ma! I'm right here." A twenty-something man came out of the back. "You don't have to…. Oh, customers. Hi guys, sorry for the wait. What can I get you?"

"At this point, I should be quite happy with something hot," Ryou chuckled.

"Right here, babe," Bakura quipped. "Couldda stayed in the room for that."

"Room?" Raji asked. "Oh, you drove over from one of the battlefield hotels? If you have your room key, there's a 10% discount."

"We walked." Bakura pulled out the key card. "This one?"

Raji looked at the two men, and then out the window. "You walked? In this?"

Bakura shrugged. "Never argue with a Brit about tea."

'Ma' said something in Indian and Raji replied. They had a brief exchange which involved gestures toward the weather and the customers. She began opening cabinets, and he pushed a couple register buttons.

Finally Raji smiled at Bakura. "I figured it would be a waste of time to open today, but Ma insisted. We were just about to close up, so you guys are really lucky. Coffee or tea for you, sir?"

"Coffee. French roast or whatever's close. What kind of tea you got?"

"My mother's making tea for your friend," Raji dismissed. "Scone? Danish? The blueberry is very good."

"Yeah, sure. One of each. How much?"

"Oh no charge," Raji said as he served the baked goods. "Once Ma heard you say you walked, she said it was a mitzvah to thaw you out and dry you off."

'Ma' came out from the counter and handed Ryou a mug. "Hoomd chai. Beddy good."

Ryou took a sip. Then his eyes fell shut and Bakura would have sworn that his lover had just jizzed his pants.

"Madam, you are a saint." Ryou opened his eyes and smiled. "The finest cup of black tea I have had since leaving London."

'Great, now I gotta compete with old Indian hags?' Bakura found himself thinking. That smile could make sluts out of virgins and pervs out of monks.

"Ah! Loandun? Meni, meni year ago..."

"Your coffee?" Raji interrupted Bakura's jealous rage to hand him the steaming beverage. "And, listen, our place is upstairs. If you want to come up and dry off, I've got a robe you can borrow. Mom can keep your friend occupied, and I can drive you back to your hotel when we're done. It's less than a mile away."

"I can deal," Bakura shrugged, "but he might want -"

"Actually, handsome, I don't think my robe would fit him."

Bakura looked at Raji. "Are you actually hittin' on me?"

"Only if there's a chance you're saying yes. Otherwise, it's just a friendly offer."

There was a time when, it wouldn't have been a discussion, and Bakura would already be halfway up the stairs. But that changed a year prior.

"How can I marry you? I should have to share you with every man you see," Ryou had said softly, sadly. "Be mine, truly mine alone, and next year, ask me again."

Ryou's tears had been enough to convince Bakura to stop sleeping with any hot bod he saw. It hadn't taken long to change; not once Yami had remarked on the number of dinner invitations Ryou got in a week. The sudden fear that the love of his life might say yes to someone else, made Bakura start saying no. Bakura had been hoping for some alone time to ask Ryou if it was too soon to ask again.

Bakura looked at Ryou; he and Ma were having an animated conversation. He was smiling. Radiant as the snow drifted past the window behind him. He looked like a ice fairy.

The Indian kid was hot, but compared to Ryou? No contest.

Bakura smiled. The weather couldn't be all bad if the trip made Ryou happy. "Thanks for the friendly offer," Bakura grinned, "but he's just here for the tea, an' I'm just here for him."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	17. 17: Mokuba

Formatting Key:

typed text on handheld device. visible on screen_

_{...streaming system data / not visible on screen...}_

_}}...data in_

_{{...data out_

* * *

**Chapter 17 Mokuba**

The room phone rang.

"Moshi moshi," Mokuba answered without putting down his handheld.

"Good morning. Mr. Kaiba? We have a package for, I'm sorry, Kaiba mo-cue-baa? Is that right?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "close enough. It's down at the desk? I'll be right there." He hung up.

_package is at the front desk_

_signed for by maggie / pretty blonde_

_how would you know_

_staff photo in personnel records_

_maybe i should redesign your visual / i wouldn't mind a pretty blonde_

_do it and i will fry every computer you own_

Mokuba laughed out loud as he hit the elevator button to go down.

_jealous_

_very_

It only took a couple minutes to ride the high speed elevator to the lobby. No one was around except the blonde at the front desk. She made him show ID, and sign for the box, and after, Mokuba stopped at the restaurant for a sandwich to take back to the room.

_ok i'm back_

_bout time / what's the code_

_i haven't opened the box yet_

_you open the box while i open the code_

_why are you so excited_

_we've never exchanged gifts before / it's like i'm really your boyfriend_

_you are really my boyfriend / i wish i could tell everyone / i wish i could tell anyone / i think i found a way to show you / the code is 5ing2M3_

Mokuba sat on the bed, put the handheld down and opened the box. Inside was a slender black cylinder, roughly a meter long. One end was flat, the other bullet-shaped. There were no markings or openings, but it seemed to be hollow with several heavy weights inside it.

_}}...5ing2M3 / install touch / child safety controls enable disable / disable / activate all apps yes no / yes / vibrate on off / on / mic speakers on off / on / enhanced touchscreen settings...}}_

_noa what is this_

_{{...noacock on...{{_

_what do you think it is_

Mokuba snickered.

_i think it's a dildo_

The object vibrated. Mokuba looked at it more closely. "Where do the batteries go?" He mused aloud.

"There are none," a voice replied. "UV absorption."

"HOLY FUCK!" The boy jumped nearly a foot before he realized the voice had come from his handheld and not the object.

"Noa?" Mokuba picked up the game. He had originally turned the sound off because it drove Seto crazy. But Noa's distinctive voice would likely push him to murder. "I thought I disconnected that."

"Disabled not disconnected," Noa replied. "I can hear you now, too. Do you always mutter when you play with my unit?"

Mokuba felt his whole body turn red at the innuendo.

_}}...skin temp elevation 5 degrees...}}_

"Are you blushing?" Noa asked.

_}}...skin temp elevation 6 degrees. skin temp elevation 7 degrees...}}_

"No," Mokuba lied. "I have to turn the sound off. Seto will freak. You sound just like you." In truth, Seto would, but the voice was giving Mokuba hot chills as well.

"But he's not there now, right?"

"No... How did you reactivate it anyhow?"

"It's one of the options in your download. I activated all the options. This isn't one of your programs. Stolen and customized?"

"Traded, not stolen," Mokuba smirked. "One of the guys at Adam and Eve gave me this in exchange for a stripped version of Breed and Battle. I don't even want to know what he's gonna do with that," he laughed.

_{{...adamandeve search / development search / programmers / sex games...{{_

"I see," Noa replied. "It appears you are alone now. Is that correct?"

"Yeah."

"What if I turn off all sound features when someone else is around? I can add an on-screen sound button." }}_...sound / controls / display / properties / small icon / position:absolute / right:auto;top:auto...}}_ "How's that? When we're alone, we can talk."

"I guess." If Seto overheard them, he'd probably take the game, but the truth was that Mokuba wanted to talk to Noa. "And the new software will be more fun with the audio."

"So I see. I think we had the same thing in mind for gifts."

"I guess so." Mokuba picked up the vib. "So, how do I use this thing?"

"Hold on while I access your school records. I thought you passed Human Sexuality."

Mokuba blushed again. "Not - no... Geez! I know how to - what it's for. I mean, how do I turn it on, how does it operate." Mokuba's blush deepen. "How do I use it on you."

"The signal is one way," Noa said. "I wanted a way to touch you."

Mokuba put his hand on the game. "I've got the whole robotics division working on that one."

"I know. I'm the AI for the project."

"What?"

"A very simple AI. I only answer yes/no questions and I only follow five-word commands. But I can see what they're doing and keep them on the right path. They are making progress."

Mokuba grunted. "Doesn't look like it. They keep showing me better prosthetic limbs."

"Which is keeping the project funded."

"Yeah, I know." Mokuba sighed. "Okay. One way signal. So you control it."

"Yes. Do you want to try it now?"

His whole body clenched at the idea, but his heart raced and he knew they would be trying it. But not quite now.

"Let's - uh - let's look at the new software first." He licked his suddenly dry lips. "I want to see you. Full body image." He put the vib down; it rolled to rest next to his leg.

"Like this?" Noa appeared on screen, full color, dressed as Mokuba first saw him - the white school uniform, the shorts with knee socks. "Or should I pick from the new closet?"

His outfit changed to a tuxedo complete with top hat. A second later it changed to a swim brief. Then a ski suit. Then a kimono.

"Stop!" Mokuba laughed. "How about auto setting your clothes to TPO?"

"You sure?" The image wore leather straps, a studded cup, and carried a whip.

Mokuba's heart beat triple time. "Yeah. Sure."

The image settled to jeans and a T-shirt that read 'CIA you don't know me'.

"Okay. Hopefully this works." Mokuba zoomed in on Noa's face, and lightly stroked his hair.

"You're stroking my hair." Noa looked surprised and pleased.

"Okay. What about this?" Mokuba scrolled down and held his finger to Noa's shirt after a moment, the color changed. Mokuba slid his finger up and watched with glee as Noa's shirt lifted up and off. When he removed his finger, three choices appeared: delete, closet, wear. He clicked 'closet'.

Noa was topless, displaying a smooth chest. Defined, but not bulky. Beautiful. Mokuba zoomed in to find photorealistic nipples. He stroked them.

"Wow," Noa gasped. Against Mokuba's leg, the black cylinder vibrated for a moment.

Mokuba looked at the vib and then back at the screen. "Noa, where's Seto?"

_{{...amex 567 usage...{{_

_}}...tiffany store 242...}}_

_{{...find dessage...calendar...edit...new appointment...11:30...kaiba (2)...{{_

"He has a salon appointment in half an hour," Noa said. "They should be busy for several hours. This program has some very interesting enhanced settings." {{_...downloading adamandevedotecybersexprodotbeta...{{_ "This is better than chocolate."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	18. 18: Honda

**Chapter 18 Honda**

The building seemed to be a house. One room on the main floor, two rooms upstairs, three rooms in the basement. There were maps and glass cases along every wall. Upstairs, there were three pallets with plaques and personal effects, the kind soldiers might carry. The pallets had rough wool blankets.

Honda took them.

"Sorry, guys. No disrespect, but Ryuji needs these more than you right now."

The wooden structure was almost 200 years old, if Honda had read the date on one of those glass cases right, and there were cracks between the boards. But it was better than staying outside.

The biggest draft came from the door Honda had forced in. Unfortunately, the hinge had given way, so now the door had nothing holding it in place. Honda had pushed the nearest display case against it and hoped that would keep the snow out. There wasn't much he could do about the wind.

He hurried back down to the first floor. Ryuji was still where he left him - leaning in a corner, shivering. Honda took his own coat back and wrapped two of the three blankets around his lover.

"Here babe. That's better, right?" Watching Otogi pass out, had terrified Honda. Ryu-chan still seemed dazed, more unconscious than awake.

As he slipped his coat back on, Honda tried to remember the things he'd learning while camping as a kid. Find shelter. Check. Build a fire. Not here. The fireplace was blocked and building one anyplace else would likely burn the building down. Stay dry. Honda had already taken off his socks - which were soaked - but he'd forgotten Ryuji's.

"Right! Okay, babe. I know this sounds crazy," he started taking off his lover's shoes. "But wet feet is how you get gangrene. I think. You get something." Ryuji's feet were pale blue. "Oh. Jeez." Honda realize that a tear was rolling down his cheek. "Guess I owe you a foot massage, right?" He began rubbing them, trying to get some sign that they weren't already frostbitten.

The light in the room was grey, not bright, but not casting shadows either. Time seemed to stand still. Otogi's feet and hands all seemed too pale no matter how long Honda rubbed them. Finally Honda wrapped the third blanket around the sleeping - hopefully sleeping, not dying - man and got up.

The snow was still falling. It coated the windows, making it difficult to see anything outside. Honda checked his cell phone again. The battery was orange, but there was no signal even if he had power. And no outlets even if he had brought his charger. If Ryuji had his mobile, Honda hadn't found it.

Honda went downstairs.

It seemed a bit warmer, but there was no light. The air was dank and stale. From the base of the stairs, he could see that most of the room was roped off. On the wall near where the rope began was a sign and a picture. There wasn't enough light for him to make much sense out of the sign, but he vaguely recognized the word 'morgue'. The picture was a sketch with bodies stacked like cordwood. That was enough for Honda.

He went back upstairs; there was nothing he needed in a room full of the unmourned dead.

He checked Ryuji's hands and feet. They were swollen but purple, not blue. Honda wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. He re-wrapped the blankets and slipped under them himself.

"Some protector I am, huh?" He tried to laugh. "Take you for a romantic walk and wind up turning us both into popsicles." He tried to get more comfortable and put his arms around his beloved. "Tell you what, you just rest. Soon as I thaw out, I'll give you the grand tour, Okay? I mean, pretty amazing that a wooden building managed to stand for, like 200 years, right?"

Honda woke suddenly.

It was hot under the blankets, so he pulled them back. It was still astoundingly cold in the room, but the wind outside had died down, so there was less of a draft. Honda removed his own coat and Ryuji's, and checked Ryuji's feet again. They were still purple, but they seemed more bruised than swollen.

"Owww!" Ryuji moaned.

"Ryu-chan? You awake, honey?"

"I fucking hope not." He replied weakly.

Honda wanted to cry with relief. If Ryuji could make jokes, then he wasn't delirious. Cold, yes. Fever, no. Honda moved beside his lover and stroked the man's cheek.

"Where the fuck -"

Honda kissed him. Swearing, annoyed, cold, but alive. 'Let me have this kiss,' Honda silently prayed, 'and the spirits of this house can have me.'

"Wow," Ryuji sighed, when they both finally had to breathe. "So snow gets you hot. I'll have to remember that. Pity I don't think I can do this now."

"I know, honey, I'm sorry." Honda blushed. "I'm just so glad you're alive. And I don't think it's frostbite - your feet, I mean. There's super cold - hyperthermia! Been trying to remember that word all morning. I think it's just hyperthermia."

"Oh good. What the hell am I wrapped in?"

"I, uh, found a couple blankets."

"They smell like they haven't been cleaned since the ugly things were buried."

Honda couldn't resist a smile; that could well be true.

"Okay, so when do we go back to the hotel? They have a hot tub I can thaw in."

"Yeah. Well, it's still snowing, so not 'til that stops at least. Do you have your mobile?"

"No. I left it on the charger."

Honda nodded. That would explain it. "So, we've got a while." He cleared his throat and tried to sound excited. "Hey, tell you what. You just rest, and I'll read the exhibit to you! This a museum, right? There's probably an admission but we get it all to ourselves and free. Can't beat that, right?"

He tucked two of the blankets around Ryuji and the third around himself. "Okay, let's see...I think it starts...here! Okay 'this house was the home of...Mob...Mobs...some guy."

"Your English sucks."

"Hey, it's dark in here, and this stuff's faded. Okay, I won't read it, I'll just summarize. Uh, okay this guy was just a guy - not a politician or soldier or something..."

Honda's took his time, less to actually translate all the details and more to make sure that Ryuji was alive and really okay.

Eventually, it was too dark to even pretend to read. He tried to check Ryuji's feet again, but the man cried out in pain and they both thought it might be better to wait for sunrise.

"Just sit with me. You've been as hyper as Yugi on a sugar rush all day."

"Oh. Yeah." He sat, arranged the blankets and pulled Ryuji into his arms. It would all be romantic, if he knew how they were going to get home again. "This was kinda gonna be a big day for me. I was going to - okay, don't laugh. I was going to, y'know, pop the question."

"What question?" Ryuji yawned as he snuggled closer.

"THE question. The 'will you marry me' question." Ryuji didn't respond so Honda cleared his throat, picked a casual tone, and hurried on. "It's good that I changed my mind, though. Not about you - I love you. But marriage. I mean, I can't take care of you on a walk in the snow. I'm not ready to take care of you for our whole lives. Besides, you shouldn't marry me. I mean there are millions of better looking, richer, smarter men you should be with. You deserve someone special. Someone spectacular. I mean, you're amazing. You really are. You're smart, but not a know-it-all like Kaiba. You laugh like Jou, you play like Yugi. You're as wise as Yami, as sexy as Marik and Malik combined, and more beautiful that every woman I've ever known combined. The longer I know you the more I want to know you. Why should you settle for me?"

Ryuji shrugged slightly and Honda's spirit sank. He was hoping Ryu-chan would say something. He cleared his throat to prevent himself from sighing. His dad always said that only women in romance movies sigh. "You shouldn't settle for anyone. Anything. No, you should marry a man - a woman - the perfect woman. One who cooks great and cleans and won't bitch if you don't help. Someone kind enough to be down when you're down, but strong enough to hold you up when you feel like falling. She'll be beautiful with long hair that looks like water and feels like silk. Her eyes will be so green, they make you think of Mount Daisen in summer. Her body, wow. Her body will be perfect. Long, slender, firm. Skin like - like - like I don't know. Smooth and soft and warm. A face that makes you happy to be alive. An ass that makes you…well, you know." He paused. "You know? Ryu-chan?"

Ryu-chan was asleep, warm and breathing softly. Safe. He must feel really safe to sleep like that Honda thought.

Honda did sigh this time. "Probably a good thing; he never believes me anyway." He yawned himself. "Might as well sleep. Can't do anything until morning most likely."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	19. 19: Marik

**Chapter 19 Marik**

Malik was drenched with sweat. His lips and tongue tasted of seed. His fingers had skin from Marik's back and bits of fabric from the seats under the nails. His eyes were glazed, his breath ragged, and his skin blood red.

"More," he whispered.

"Oh fuck!" Marik groaned.

More? What more? Their clothing was gone - presumably on the floor, but Marik hadn't been concerned at the time. They had already rotated twice through the limited number of positions allowed in the narrow damn bus seat. Marik had held his own climax even as Malik had defied physiology and the laws of nature. Multi-orgasmic had to have a limit!

I should have made him scream, Marik lamented silently. When I make him scream, he's out like a light for hours. Like this, he's just gonna give me a stroke!

But...

To die embedded in Malik, feeling his heat and hearing his pleasure?

Worth a thousand deaths.

"When I'm done, you won't be able to move for a month." Marik growled, trying to find the strength to keep going. To last longer. Even against his light, Marik found losing demeaning. "Come on, little girl, and sit in my lap."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	20. 20: Seto

**Chapter 20 Seto**

Seto smiled over his wine. The salon had been ridiculously overpriced, but Jounouchi's hair looked fabulous. The new cut brought out his eyes and high cheekbones, and the dark highlights gave visual texture and depth that begged his fingers to run through them. Whoever on his personal staff had made the appointment was getting a bonus.

Really, the whole team should get one. Despite the abrupt change in schedule and the weather that had shut most of the city down, his staff had made arrangements with all the stores he needed and a few he hadn't expected. Overall, he was pleased.

With them. He was not pleased with himself that he allowed a fit of temper to spend almost two hundred thousand just to make a point.

But the watch that Jou would likely never wear was elegant. And the suit tailored at Brooks Brothers that would probably see the back of the closet rather than the light of day could land Jou on the cover of GQ.

Now, at a late lunch in the hotel's restaurant, watching Jou chat at the bar over a basketball game on the big screen, Seto was able to reflect.

Jou was a near perfect partner. Handsome, smart, witty, clever. Charming, social. He had the amazing gift of being able to spend an entire evening in a room full of strangers, talk all night, say not one word worth remembering, and yet make a thousand new friends before he left. As a networking tool, Jou was irreplaceable.

'He's adorable even when I'm angry with him.' Seto sighed.

"Sorry about that." Jou apologized as he rejoined Seto. "Got caught up in the game for a minute there."

"Quite alright. Mokuba claims he was napping and didn't hear the phone."

"Ah." Jou nodded. "A teenage boy, alone, with skinTV, was napping all morning. Sure."

"Is that how you would have spent the time?"

"Oh yeah! I used to 'nap' all the time." Jou's graphic hand gesture did not imply sleep. "In my room, in the school locker room, in the john."

"School? Is that why you seemed to actively pursue detention?"

"OK, so where did you 'nap'?"

"Hardly information for public consumption."

The lighthearted mood fled. "You'd buy a guy you don't even know a two thousand dollar watch, but you won't tell me where you jacked off in high school. And you don't think that's messed up?"

"Money is important but it's a tool. My intimate behavior is neither important nor useful."

"Why does it have to be useful? Why can't you tell me just cause I want to know?" Jou sighed heavily. "Never mind. I'm gonna watch the rest of the game." Jou got up and went back to the bar.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	21. 21: Yami

**Chapter 21 Yami**

"All drivers return to your lots. All drivers, all routes, return to your lots." The radio announced. "We are closing the system."

Yami exchanged a look with Yugi, then looked at the driver, Naldo.

Naldo picked up the handset, "Dispatch, come in." He waited a minute or two before getting a response. "Dispatch, this is M7. I'm still on 66, and I have passengers."

There was silence for a minute. Then, "M7, can you off load at Rosslyn?"

Naldo looked at them and sighed.

"Where is Rosslyn?" Yami asked.

"Not near Manassas." Naldo frowned. "Dispatch, that's not going to work. I have Japanese tourists."

"It's Okay." Yugi said brightly. "We'll find our way back."

But Naldo waved him quiet, and Yami agreed.

Sitting on a bus for more than six hours had worn even Yugi's energy. He was clearly trying to keep a positive attitude and just as clearly, near the end of his endurance. "Love, sit and be quiet." Yami pulled Yugi next to him.

As proof of his lover's waning spirit, Yugi sat.

They listened as Naldo discussed the issue first with dispatch, and then with a supervisor. Finally the radio crackled to life once more. "M7? OK, return to Manassas. Terminate at Target."

Naldo grinned at them. "See?" He clicked the radio. "Thank you, dispatch. Exiting 66 at Exit 60. M7 out." He began turning the wheel as they inched forward in traffic. "Now, I'm not promising the roads will be any better." He chuckled as he checked the cars around them. "But they can't be any worse!"

"And if they are, we'll find a way around anyway!" Yugi replied with renewed enthusiasm. "Wow, is it me, or are there a lot of trees around here?"

Yugi and Naldo started yet another long conversation this time about the local greenery. The city streets weren't in considerably better condition, but there were fewer cars and more plows, it seemed. They were moving slowly, but they were moving. And Yugi was apparently correct - there did seem to be an inordinate amount of trees everywhere they went.

Yami watched Yugi with pure awe.

To call Yugi his hikari was not enough. It was more as if Ra himself chatted away, not simply providing light to see but actually lightening the spirit of all around him. Yugi made every day a joy, every dream seem possible, every negative the beginning of a positive.

'Great Ra, even I, Pharaoh, am too low for this gem you have given me.' Yami prayed silently. 'I shall treasure this light for all eternity.'

"Okay!" Naldo cheered. "We are now in Manassas! On a regular day, I'd say we were about five minutes from where I picked you two -" he looked confused as he glanced at one of his instruments. "Wait, when I picked you up, weren't there four of you?"

"The Ishtars." Yami tried to resist smiling. "Yes. I believe they're...resting."

"I'll get them!" Yugi popped up. "Marik takes forever to wake up. Marik? Malik? Guy, we're almo-!"

Yugi's voice switched abruptly to Japanese and Yami had to laugh.

Naldo looked at Yami. "What's he saying?"

"Is this bus equipped with a security camera?"

"Yeah." The driver frowned. "Why?"

"Some of Yugi's expressions don't translate easily. It may be easier to view the tape. But, please, do it after we leave. Here." Yami gave him a business card. "You may contact us here, if there are any damages."

"Damages?"

"Honestly!" Yugi huffed, plopping down next to Yami again. "You'd think they had nothing else to do with their time!"

"What were they doing?" Naldo asked.

"Uh..." Yugi turned bright red.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	22. 22: Ryou

**Chapter 22 Ryou**

The coffee shop owner convinced a plow truck driver to take them back to the hotel. Even with the snow blowing furiously, it was a ten minute trip. And, along the way, they passed a Starbucks. It was a block from the hotel, but in the opposite direction from the way they'd walked.

"Oh you are fucking kidding me!" Bakura snarled.

But Ryou laughed. "My poor Bakura," he told the driver. "I doubt I shall ever tire of telling this tale."

"Huh?" The man replied.

"We were looking for a Starbucks when we left."

"Oh. Yeah, but Shelly's coffee's way better. Cheaper too."

"Shelly? Do you mean Chandra?"

The driver laughed, "yeah, but we just call her Shelly. Easier. This one or that one?"

Ryou looked out the window, but neither building looked familiar.

"That one," Bakura stopped swearing in Japanese long enough to say.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	23. 23: Noa

Warning: Lime(ish) Chapter

* * *

Formatting Key:

typed text on handheld device. visible on screen_

_{...streaming system data / not visible on screen...}_

_}}...data in_

_{{...data out_

* * *

**Chapter 23 Noa**

_}}...skin temp elevation above scale...moisture present…system resources are running low / recommend closing applications...}}_

_{{...noacock at 90%...{{_

"Mokuba," Noa said. "Mokuba, it's too much."

"Oh God! Wait!" he panted. "I can't - I'm so - Don't stop!"

_}}...skin temp elevation above scale...moisture present…system resources are running low / recommend closing applications...}}_

_{{...noacock at 95%...{{_

"Mokuba, it's more input than I can process. I - I -"

_{{...noacock at 100%...{{_

Mokuba cried out incoherently as his orgasm overtook his sense of reason. "Oh God," he gasped after a moment, "oh God!" He pulled the vib out of himself and realized that it was no longer active.

"Noa?" He picked the handheld and saw a black screen with blue letters flashing '_system halted...shutdown'_

"Oh shit!"

Before Mokuba could do anything, the flashing changed to '_system reboot in...5'._

The countdown progressed and Mokuba watched - near tears - as handheld device went through a factory standard start up cycle. Much to Mokuba's relief Noah's program auto loaded itself.

_noa / what happened_

_audio on_ "I overloaded," Noa's voice said. "I'm not sure but I think...Mokuba, I think I just came. Audio off."

"You just what!" was all Mokuba could say before the hotel room door opened.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	24. 24: Ryuji

**Chapter 24 Ryuji**

I woke up to my whole body burning. Great. First I freeze, then I burn. Perfect.

It was probably a good thing, at least if everything was tingling like a bad acupuncture treatment, it probably meant that I didn't lose a leg or something to frostbite.

And there was light coming in through the windows and wall cracks. Which meant that the goddamned snow had finally stopped. It was still cold, but it wasn't as crazy as yesterday.

I shifted slightly and didn't resist groaning when every nerve in my body shot off pain.

"Hey." Honda's voice was soft. And deep. His looks may not be a 10 on the Richter scale, but his voice was a 25. "You awake? How you feelin'?"

"Like someone strapped a sparkler to a vibrator and jammed it up my ass."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Good. Think you can stand?"

"I'd rather just lie here. Unless you made breakfast."

"Sorry, love, no breakfast. But if you can, you should walk around the room. Help your blood circulation." He leaned down and put his arm around my waist. "Come on."

I could stand. It felt like my whole body had fallen asleep and hurt like no end of hell, but I managed. He helped me limp around the room and I got to see the maps and glass cases for myself.

Three quarters of the way round, I stopped.

"Is that a door?"

"Yeah. It's only a bolt lock, too."

"So the door is basically open." He nodded. "So why aren't we leaving?"

"Because we don't have a shovel." He sighed. "Both doors are blocked - front and back. The snow's up past the door frame and it's either too thick or too heavy for me to just dig through."

"So we are actually snowed in." He nodded. "Oh my fucking god, are you kidding me? Un-fucking-believable!"

"Yeah, and my phone died overnight. I never did get a signal anyway." He cleared his throat, in that 'let's change the subject' way of his. "Hey, since you can move, let's go upstairs. There's not much to see up there, but I mean, this is a museum."

"Oh sure, let's go tour the rest of our tomb."

"It's not going to be a tomb."

"Provided we don't starve to death before spring thaw."

"We'll get out before then, I'm sure." He made sure I had my balance, but I managed the narrow stairs on my own.

"Oh look." I glanced around. "Nothing."

I mean it's not like I was expecting a recreation of the battle, but this was utterly pointless. Someone's house was on the battlefield, so the army used it. The end. How do you make a museum out of that? What was this, the 'you haven't wasted enough time yet, so come do nothing in here' exhibit?

But in the corner, the one near the window that overlooked the traffic light, I did see something interesting.

A flashing red light.

A flashing red light on a security system.

The little green light was off, and the little red 'Alarm' light was blinking. Hopefully it had a signal. And hopefully someone in this frozen hellhole country gave a shit about a flashing red alarm at an empty old wooden house.

"You find something, Ryu-chan?"

"Nothing much." I turned around to face him. He looked worried at first, but his expression quickly changed, and suddenly, he was actually blushing. "What?"

"I just... No, you'll laugh at me."

"Oh! I know. You thought about sex and got all hot, didn't you?" He's such a boy scout! He'd probably have a fit if he knew he set off an alarm. I'll let the cops tell him if they actually show up.

"Not really." My Hiro muttered, still bright pink. "Just, sometimes I forget how gorgeous you are and then I see you and it's like, wow..."

Oh right. That's why I gave up the clubs and the drugs and the rotating ukes begging to be my next. That whole speech last night about me deserving some kind of fantasy girl. Like I want some girl. Like I want anything other than my big, stupid, Let's-go-play-in-the-snow, idiot, asshole, Mr. 'It will be fun' boy scout they actually named 'Hero'. Because he says bullshit like that.

And he actually means it.

Maybe we could get married.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	25. 25: Malik

Warning: Lime Chapter

* * *

**Chapter 25 Malik**

He couldn't move. He could hear Yugi admonishing them for having sex in public - again - but Malik could not move so much as an eyelash in response.

"Give it a rest, Yugi!" Marik growled. "Geez! We'll be up there in a sec."

How he had the breath to say anything was as amazing as anything else Marik had done in the last few hours.

Getting dressed in a rush in the cramped bus space was painful. They were both sweaty - although Malik was aware that much of what covered his own chest was semen. How Marik avoided being bathed in the stuff was yet another mystery.

"You smell like a whore." Marik chuckled as he pulled on his shirt.

Malik felt his face flush. He felt like a whore. He could feel the semen running down his legs. It embarrassed him. But it excited him too. He was exhausted, but exhilarated. His body ached, several muscles had cramped badly in the awkward positions he'd been forced to hold, but in all honesty, Malik would do it again in a heartbeat.

Marik was pushy, chauvinistic, crass, frequently abusive, and selfish. But his simplest touch made Malik come. He was under no illusions about their relationship. They were both sexual deviants, with appetites much too large to be satisfied by ordinary partners.

Malik groaned as he pulled himself out of the bus seat. Yugi and Yami were up front, already pulling their coats on. The length of the bus seemed like an impossible walk. All he wanted was a bath and hopefully a bit of sleep before Marik recharged and wanted to dehydrate him completely.

But Marik suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Before he could question, Marik captured his lips and kissed him deeply.

"You taste like a whore, too." He teased cruelly. "I bet you wanna get fucked again already. How about in the hotel lobby?'

Malik shivered. Fucked in the lobby. All those people watching Marik take him again. "Please," he whispered, whimpered. "We can't."

"Pussy," Marik sneered. "I guess you'll just have to wait. You probably need a nap after all that anyway." He grinned. "Hey, get moving. I wanna see Yugi turn red when I tell him how hard you came."

Malik sighed and hobbled up the bus aisle, but he smiled too. Everyone always talked about how good it was that Marik had found his light. But finding his 'dark' was the brightest day of Malik's life.

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	26. 26: Jou

**Chapter 26 Jou**

Seto hit the 'stop' button and the elevator lurched to a sudden halt.

"What the hell -" Jou started.

"What am I doing wrong?" Seto cut him off.

"What?"

"You either don't trust me, or you don't believe I am capable of taking care of you, or that my taking care of you is some kind of trap, or -"

"What the hell are you talking about? You don't need to take care of me," Jou huffed. "Not some kid."

"Your age is irrelevant. Mokuba hasn't needed me to take care of him in years. I care 'about' you, therefore, I care 'for' you."

"Yeah? Well, I can take care of myself."

"I would hardly be involved with a man who could not," Seto dismissed. "And regardless, since when is it a crime to take care of someone you love? I have the means to make your life simpler; why shouldn't I? Thousands of women have begged me to do that."

Jou rolled his eyes. "I'm not a woman! Quit treatin' me like one!" He sighed heavily. "Look, you're not doing anything wrong - except that maybe, I don't know, maybe you try too hard."

"Try too hard?"

"Seto," Jou held his lover's cheeks gently, forced the man to meet his eyes. "Look, I love you. And money is nice, but I don't want you to ever, ever think that I am with you because of it."

"Katsuya," Seto took Jou's hand and kissed it softly, "if I thought for one second you wanted money from me, I would never spend another dime on you."

"Then why do you do it? It makes me crazy!"

"Usually, yes." Seto nodded. "But occasionally, I purchase something and you smile, and it's worth more than anything I own. A quarter million is nothing if I can make you happy."

"You idiot," Jou snickered. "You could have made me happy for free today, if we'd just stayed in bed."

Seto found himself smiling coyly. "You should have said that before breakfast."

Jou slid his hands up, wrapping his arms around Seto's neck and pulling the man close. "You didn't give me a chance. Once you're out of bed, you're up." They kissed softly. "Seto, look from now on, before you buy something for me, kiss me. If that doesn't make me smile, then buy whatever you want."

"We'll be arrested for public indecency." They kissed again. "But, there is some merit to the idea." They kissed again, longer. "If I do this 'kiss-pro-quo', will you use the things I buy?"

"'K. Deal." Their kisses became deeper, and Jou fell into the corner of the elevator, pulling Seto against him. "You owe me for the watch and the suit."

Kiss. "And the belt." Seto tugged loose the belt Jou was wearing.

"Oh." Kiss. "Yeah."

The elevator lurched and started moving up again.

"Oh, right," Jou snickered. "I was wondering what that buzzing was."

"Hm, yes. Otherwise I may have done some 'napping' here."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Well, maybe not quite," Seto chuckled. They exited at their floor. "I guess one doesn't 'nap' with a partner."

"Could be mutual 'napping'," Jou pointed out.

"True." Seto stopped. "To your earlier question, I didn't 'nap' when I was younger. I rarely had true privacy, and eventually, I lost the desire to 'nap'." Jou looked at him, appalled. "I rediscovered that desire when you entered my office as the new supply clerk." Seto actually blushed faintly as he admired the wallpaper. "As I recall, I 'napped' that afternoon at my desk." He found the pattern on the carpet interesting as well. "Twice."

"Seriously?"

"And before you ask, no, I have not 'napped' since then."

"Why not?"

Seto smiled. "I hardly need to, with you around. Do you do much 'napping' these days?"

"Heh. I guess not." Jou reached out and took Seto's hand. "Come on. Let's get back to the room. I wanna spend the rest of the night with just you."

"Napping?"

"No. I wanna be wide awake for this."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	27. 27: Hospital

**Chapter 27**

"I found them." Seto flipped his phone shut. "They are at Prince William County hospital."

"Hospital?" Yugi exclaimed. "What happened? Are they alright?"

"I have no idea. There's some confidentiality law and it took the entire conversation to learn they are there in the first place."

The rest of the group were all in the lobby of Honda and Otogi's hotel. When the two men had not returned by sunset, Ryou had called Yugi, and Bakura called Kaiba. Seto, Jou and Mokuba had come to the Manassas hotel as quickly as distance and weather allowed.

They all spent the night trying to determine where Honda and Otogi had gone, and where currently they might be. Contacting emergency services had been a trial; the storm had taken out power and water across the region and Seto learned than none of his US contacts had the type of access he needed in this case. At home, the authorities would have bent over backward to find his friends. Here, he was told, effectively, 'get in line.' It was not something he was used to.

"According to the front desk, the hospital's only about twenty minutes from here." Yami joined the group.

"Fine." Seto opened his phone again and hit a speed dial. "We are going to Prince William hospital. Have a car brought around. Get Honda and Otogi's medical information to the hospital in case they were unable to provide it themselves. If you can't find it, use the Kaiba Family policy. I'll sort it out later. Hold." He looked at Jou. "If they need to be admitted for treatment, do you wish to stay?"

Jou gave him an arched glare. "Seriously?"

Seto almost smiled. "I will presume that this is outside the terms of our agreement." He turned back to the phone call. "Locate accommodations locally for all of us, in case we need to stay another night." He shut the phone. "Shall we go?"

The sun was up and while the temperature was still cold, the overnight plowing and road salt had done its work. The streets were passable, although they passed few cars on the short trip.

"I hope they're okay." Jou sounded worried.

"They are." Mokuba didn't even glance up from his handheld.

"How do you know?" Yami asked.

"Noa - the weather guys, I mean. They said that only a couple people had died in all this. And if it had been a couple of foreign guys, I'm sure that would have made the news. Honda probably let his phone die again and doesn't know anybody's number to call."

"That would be just like him," Jou nodded.

"There." Ryou pointed at a plaza as they passed. "Before we leave, we simply must stop there for tea again." He sighed wistfully. "The chai was delightful and the son was breathtaking."

"What?" Bakura snapped.

"I think we came this way on our way back." Yugi observed. "I remember that chicken sign. Did you see it, Malik?"

"Uh, no, uh I - I don't recall."

"Couldn't see much from where you were," Marik snickered. "Could ya?"

Seto pinched the bridge of his nose and intercom'ed the limo driver. "Tell me we are almost there."

"Yes, sir. It's the next turn."

The group arrived to find Honda, in a wheelchair, and a KaibaCorp employee filling out paperwork at the admissions desk. Honda's hands and feet were bandaged.

"I really appreciate this," They heard Honda saying. "I passed English in school, but I couldn't make heads or tails of these forms."

"No problem, Honda-san. Kaiba-sama is on route. He should be here shortly."

"He's here now." Seto said, making both men jump. "I see you and dice boy managed to find a bit of adventure."

"Kaiba!" Yugi admonished. "What happened, Hiro-kun? Where's Ryugi-san? Is he OK?"

"Second degree frostbite. On me, it's just fingers and toes. Togi's got it up his calves too. And yes, it's my fault. But the doctor's say we should both be fine. And Kaiba, I owe you one! I didn't realize my health card wouldn't be good here. I will totally pay you back for all of this - for both of us."

"Yes," Seto said with a bit of smug humor, "you will. But we'll discuss that at another time. Where is your partner, and when can you leave?"

"If I get some decent clothes, and stay out of the snow, I can leave now." Otogi - also wheelchair bound - announced as he arrived. "One of the nurses told me the nearest mall is on the way to the airport, and none of the clothes I packed will fit over these bandages. Plus, I want a new coat."

"Uh, Ryu-chan," Honda tried to be subtle, but it was hard with them both wheeling around. "We got the insurance stuff settled, but they want part of it up front. Uh, how much, uh..."

Otogi scoffed. "Relax, Boy Scout. Daddy loves it when I'm helpless. It makes him think I owe him something. Kaiba, did you grab our luggage? I don't want to wear this to shop, and I'm going to burn what I wore yesterday."

"I'm sure you can borrow something for an hour or two. I'll have what's in the car brought in."

"Fab. We're in room West 353. Come on, boy scout, this is what AmEx is for." Otogi turned his chair and wheeled to the desk.

Seto pulled out his phone. "Jou, you are about to see what 'flaunting wealth' truly looks like."

* * *

Author's End Note:

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(". I feel a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You. SJ


	28. 28: Destination

**Chapter 28 New York**

"Ay! Ya made it!" The man was older, but his energy and size seemed far from elderly. He grabbed Jou in a bear hug. "Hey Ma! Little Jo-jo's here!"

"Little Jo-jo?" Mokuba snickered. "Oh that's too good!"

"The first time I hear you use it, I will disinherit you." Seto snapped.

"Granddad!" Jou extricated himself. "You're killin' me here!" He laughed.

"Aw! Getovait!" The big man waved them all in. "Come in, come in! Ma! Get out here, will ya?"

"I'm coming!" A woman wearing an apron came in. She wasn't as tall as the man, but she was easily as wide. "Jo-jo!" She hugged Jou tightly and kissed his cheeks soundly. "What? You stop eating' ova there? You're all skin and bones!"

"Grandma..."

"The lot of you! Not a pound and a half between you! Where's that boy, Hero; he knows how to eat a meal."

"Grandma...!"

"Lighten up, Edith!" Granddad interceded. "You can at least met 'em all before you feed 'em, ey?"

Grandma huffed but let Jou loose.

"Grandma and Granddad Wheeler, you know Yugi. Hero and his boyfriend had to go home, unfortunately. This is Yami, Yugi's boyfriend. The look-alikes are Marik and Malik, and Ryou and Bakura. This is Mokuba." Jou took a breath and then took Seto's hand, pulling him forward. "And this is Kaiba Seto."

"Kaiba, eh?" Granddad gave him an appraising look. "Like the games?"

"My family owns the company, yes."

Grandma turned to Jou. "You sure?"

Jou blushed and grinned broadly. "Yeah, Grandma, I'm sure."

Grandma grinned back. "Well if you're sure, I'm sure." She grabbed Seto in a hug as tight as the one she crushed Jou with. "Welcome to the family, Seto!"

"What?" Seto gasped, not at all sure what just happened.

"Dang it, Edith!" Granddad roared. "You don't even know if he said yes yet!"

"Of course he said yes!" Grandma released her death grip on Seto and the stunned man took a deep breath. "Honestly, Archibald Joseph Wheeler, where is your head! What man in his right mind would say 'no' to my little Jo-jo? Right?" She locked eyes with Seto; her tone was light, but her expression was dark.

"Said no to -?" Seto regained his composure and realized the obvious. "Ah. I see. Of course I agreed to marry our Jou. I didn't know he had spoken to you."

"Called 'em from the airport in DC." Jou shrugged. "Had to tell them we were gonna be a day late, anyhow, figured I'd tell them what to expect."

"He didn't tell us a thing!" Grandma griped. "Only that you all would be late because of the storm, and that he was bringing his fiancee. He didn't even tell me the date!"

"He didn't?" Seto gave Jou an amused look. "Shame on him. We've already booked the hotel room. It's 12-2; Dec 2."

* * *

Ok, come on - a story set in February with 28 chapters? Extra credit! And I really didn't plan that, it just worked out that way.

Standard reviews welcome. Even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, I would deeply appreciate a ":-)", ":-l", or ":-(".

I still felt a bit alone on this one. From the stage, the lights are blinding and you don't know if anyone is watching if the audience is silent. Let me know you're out there, please. Thank You.

SJ


End file.
